If they [Armenia] are accepted into the EU – that’s good, but if they aren’t accepted, they will still benefit. Such people usually win at chess in their own way.

Axar.az reports, citing Russian media, that Russian Foreign Ministry official Maria Zakharova said this while commenting on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement about EU membership.

According to Zakharova, Yerevan views the abstract standards of the European Union as an unconditional good. Moreover, in her opinion, Armenia shows a strange interest in implementing EU standards in the development of which it did not participate. Zakharova emphasized that within the CIS and the EAEU, Armenia is a full participant in these organizations and takes part in the lawmaking process.

In April 2025, Armenian President Vaagn Khachaturyan approved a law previously passed by the parliament expressing the intention to join the EU, although the union itself had not offered membership to Yerevan.