Armenia Concedes to Russian Pressure Amid EU Ambitions
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan suspended a U.S. nuclear deal and partnered with Russia on railway infrastructure after Moscow imposed import bans to block EU membership.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has suspended a nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States and committed to using the Russian state entity Rosatom to build the country's next-generation reactor. This shift comes as the Federal Government of Russia adopts a harder line toward Armenia, imposing bans on various imports in violation of Eurasian Economic Union free-trade rules to dissuade Armenia from pursuing membership in the European Union.
Despite these tensions, Pashinyan met with Russian Railways CEO Oleg Belozerov in Yerevan to establish a joint working group focused on the operational efficiency of Armenia's railway network. The leaders discussed integrating the system into international transport routes and reconstructing sections of the border with Turkey and Nakhchivan. The talks also addressed the management of South Caucasus Railway, a Russian Railways subsidiary that has held a concession agreement since 2008.
These developments follow two years of Armenian efforts to downgrade security ties with Moscow and reorient its economy toward the European Union. While Pashinyan previously suggested selling the railway concession to a third party due to the impact of international sanctions on Russia, the recent nuclear and infrastructure agreements signal a tactical retreat to appease Russian economic and political pressure.
