European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced the preparation of a support package for Armenia worth more than 50 million euros. The statement followed a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
“By extending export restrictions on Armenian products, Moscow is weaponising economic relations for political pressure. We know this playbook all too well. This is why Europe stands firmly with Armenia,” von der Leyen said.
In addition to financial assistance, the European Union plans to ease Armenian goods’ access to the European market. As a symbolic gesture of solidarity, the Commission president announced that a first shipment of 10,000 Armenian flowers would arrive in Latvia on June 5.
The backdrop is Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 7. Against this backdrop, relations between Yerevan and Moscow have sharply deteriorated. Russia accuses Pashinyan of pursuing a pro-Western course and has been progressively imposing restrictions on imports of Armenian products: flowers, mineral water, vegetables, herbs, peaches, strawberries, apples, and fish are already subject to bans.
The pressure also has an institutional dimension. Russia, together with Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, has demanded that Armenia hold a referendum on its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union. Pashinyan refused, signaling that the country’s course toward European integration remains firmly set.
