Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Armenia may soon lose its desire to join the European Union. He made the remarks at the Eastern Economic Forum while discussing the EU’s economic situation.
According to Lavrov, the European Union is losing its economic advantages, which he attributed to a number of factors, including its “short-sightedness, if not stupidity.”
The Russian foreign minister noted that the desire to join the EU continues to be discussed both in Armenia and Serbia.
“Our Serbian friends, and now our Armenian partners, continue to say: we want to join the European Union. I am sure they will lose that desire very soon,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov’s statement brings together two separate points: his prediction regarding Armenia’s desire to join the EU and his assessment of the European Union’s economic prospects. He bases his conclusion on the claim that the EU is losing its previous economic advantages, and, in his view, this change should also affect interest in joining the bloc.
However, this is Lavrov’s own political assessment. His statement does not specify the timeframe or the particular developments that would cause Armenia to change its position. Therefore, at this point, it is not a change that has already taken place, but a prediction by the Russian foreign minister.
