Yerevan, 27 October. Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan said the founding documents of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) provide no mechanism for expelling or suspending a member and that Armenia has not breached its obligations to the union, responding to a report by Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on the consequences of suspending Armenia's participation, the ARKA agency reported.
At a press conference Mirzoyan said the Republic of Armenia had not breached any obligations within the EAEU and did not intend to. He acknowledged that mechanisms for suspending treaties exist in international law, in particular in the Vienna Convention, but said they require a breach of obligations. He had read the partners' report and said that while the partners may have tried to find a legal justification, from a legal point of view he disagreed with their arguments.
Mirzoyan did not rule out a political motive, saying that legal aspects were one thing, but there was also a political component, political motivation and possibly even a political instruction to lawyers to find some legal justification. He also reproached the partners, saying that in recent months Armenia had seen examples of obligations towards it not being fulfilled, and added that Armenia's right to make its own decisions was not up for bargaining.
The four countries presented the report on 20 October. It examines the legal and economic consequences of suspending the EAEU Treaty in respect of Armenia against the background of its course towards the European Union. By the report's estimates, such a scenario could cut Armenia's GDP by 15.6% and its trade with union members by 55.6%, and add 14.9 percentage points to inflation.
What it means: The dispute over Armenia's place in the EAEU is moving from politics into law: its partners, Kazakhstan among them, examined in a report the legal options for suspending its participation, while Yerevan replies that there are no grounds and accuses them of a political commission.
Who benefits: Armenia, which wants to stay in the union and keep access to its market until its EU course is settled. The countries behind the report, which gain clarity on the terms on which Armenia stays in the union while heading for the EU. For Kazakhstan, a union member and co-author of the report, the EAEU's rules are at stake: a suspension precedent would affect every member.
Background: The EAEU unites Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia and has operated since 2015. In 2026 the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is chaired by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. In mid-October Mirzoyan already said one country cannot expel another from the union.
We have also reported that EAEU countries assessed Armenia's losses from leaving the union, with GDP falling 15.6%.
