Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Secretary General Sergey Lebedev said Armenia is unlikely to join the European Union anytime soon and will remain a member of both the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the CIS.

Speaking to Russian media outlet Life, Lebedev brushed aside any near-term EU accession. “They will not go to the European Union, that will not happen in the near future. No, they will not,” he said.

Asked whether Armenia would remain in the EAEU and the CIS, Lebedev replied affirmatively. “And it will remain in the CIS. That is certain,” he stressed.

The comments come amid continued debate over Armenia’s foreign policy orientation and its deepening ties with the European Union. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly said Armenia does not intend to leave the EAEU and will leverage its membership to advance the country’s economic interests.

Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan recently reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to the EAEU at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Astana, saying Yerevan remains ready to take part in the Union’s work “in good faith” and on the basis of mutual respect, equal partnership, and consideration of member states’ national interests.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin acknowledged Armenia’s sovereign right to pursue closer ties with the European Union but warned that deeper EU integration cannot come at the expense of benefits derived from the EAEU. “Moving toward the EU is Armenia’s absolute sovereign right; however, Armenia cannot and must not do so at the expense of the finances of EAEU countries. That is, it must do it at its own expense,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov also cautioned that Armenia could eventually face a clash between regulations adopted under European integration and obligations arising from EAEU membership, reviving the debate over the long-term compatibility of the two tracks.

The comments follow Pashinyan’s recent statement that Armenia will keep working within the EAEU framework until a definitive choice between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union becomes unavoidable. For now, he argues, that choice remains theoretical and warrants neither a referendum nor any change to Armenia’s existing economic commitments.