Media logo
Armenia–Russia Relations

Pashinyan to sit out EAEU summit citing ‘holiday’

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Official photo.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Official photo.

The Caucasus is changing — so are we.

The future of journalism in the region is grim. Independent voices are under threat — and we’re responding by building a newsroom powered by our readers.

Join our community and help push back against the hardliners.

Become a member

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will not be attending an upcoming Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit, citing an overlap with his holiday.

Citing Armenia’s public TV, state-run media outlet Armenpress wrote that Pashinyan will not be attending the 15 August summit as it would clash with his holiday, which runs between 12–15 August.

Armenia’s public broadcaster, which cited Pashinyan’s office, reported that the session will focus on ‘approaches to regulating’ the climate agenda, the implementation of the EAEU’s coordinated transport policy for 2024–2026, in addition to a discussion on the development of common pharmaceutical markets.

Armenpress added that Pashinyan’s deputy, Mher Grigoryan, would participate in the session in his stead.

Tracking the rise of authoritarianism in GeorgiaTracking the rise of authoritarianism in Georgia

Tracking the rise of authoritarianism in Georgia

Armenia has for years now been boycotting or sending lower-ranking delegations to summits and meetings held by organisations fronted by Russia, including the EAEU and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

Yerevan and Pashinyan have openly stated that Armenia’s membership in the CSTO was ‘frozen’, citing the security alliance’s failure to come to Armenia’s defence in the face of Azerbaijani attacks on the border in September 2022.

However, the summit comes at the heels of a major agreement reached by Armenia and Azerbaijan brokered by US President Donald Trump, which saw the three countries initial a peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku and the announcement of a road connecting Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan through Armenian territory.

Russia has been critical of US involvement in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, effectively accusing Washington of hijacking the peace negotiations and co-opting plans to establish the road, which has been a major sticking point in the peace talks.

Explainer | What you need to know about the historic Aliyev–Trump–Pashinyan meeting
While the meeting fell short of seeing Armenia and Azerbaijan sign an official peace deal, it represented a significant step forward.


Related Articles

Most Popular

Editor‘s Picks