Mikael Aghasandyan, Director of the First CIS Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated on August 25 that reductions in Armenia’s trade with Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) would not trigger critical economic shocks. He emphasized that Yerevan’s share in Russia’s foreign trade remains low.
Aghasandyan clarified that restrictions on importing specific goods are intended to ensure only safe products enter Russian markets, aligning with sanitary and phytosanitary requirements established within the EAEU. He also noted that state supervisory authorities’ oversight at cross-border checkpoints for EAEU member states is explicitly covered by the Treaty on the EAEU.
The remarks follow reports of rapidly deteriorating relations between Russia and Armenia. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk reported on August 6 that trade turnover between Russia and Armenia in 2026 declined by approximately two-thirds compared to the previous year. Additionally, Maxim Reshetnikov, head of Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development, stated on July 30 that Moscow can readily substitute Armenian goods in its markets, recalling that Yerevan has been an EAEU member since 2015.
