Any decisions made by Yerevan will not damage relations between Russia and Armenia.

Axar.az informs this was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin while commenting on ties with Armenia.

“I told Nikol Vovaevich [Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan] this as well, and he can confirm it. You are now in power, and the responsibility for making decisions lies with you. Whatever you decide, that is how it will be. And regardless of what decisions are made, this will not harm our humanitarian ties or our political relations,” the Russian president said.

Armenia would lose 14% of its GDP if it is forced to raise energy prices due to leaving the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Putin added.

“Of course, this means higher energy prices. Such preferential terms as exist today would no longer apply. According to our preliminary estimates — not even ours, but expert-level assessments made by various analysts — this would lead to a loss of at least 14% of Armenia’s GDP. Whether that is a lot or little is another question, but all of this needs to be weighed and considered,” Putin said while commenting on potential changes in relations if Armenia exits the EAEU.

“We would ask our Armenian partners and friends. Prime Minister Pashinyan himself said that he plans and considers it right to hold a referendum on where Armenia should be — in the EAEU or in the European Union. We would ask for this to be done as soon as possible,” Putin noted.