Armenia's Membership in the EAEU is the Foundation of Its Economic Prosperity, While the CSTO is Its Security Guarantee - Kalugin

Armenia's membership in the EAEU is the foundation of its economic prosperity, while the CSTO serves as its security guarantee. This was stated by Mikhail Kalugin, the Director of the Fourth Department of the CIS Countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"Russia demonstrates its status as Armenia's main trade and investment partner. Our country accounts for about 37% of the republic's exports and 32% of its imports," he said.

Kalugin also noted that numerous joint educational and cultural initiatives are being implemented. The Russian military base and our border guards continue to serve as key elements of security for Armenia and the entire South Caucasus, a region that is just beginning to explore the contours of peaceful development.

"We see that the leadership of the republic is striving to 'diversify' foreign political relations. The European Union is trying to take advantage of this. Our response is to strengthen cooperation within the CIS and the EAEU. The benefits of Eurasian integration are obvious—a huge, uninterrupted market, the absence of customs barriers, and issue resolution based on the principle of mutual respect for the interests of member countries through the well-established mechanism of the Eurasian Economic Commission. Armenia's membership in the EAEU is the foundation of its economic prosperity, while the CSTO is its security guarantee," Kalugin noted.

According to him, unlike Western countries, Russia can operate on genuinely equal and mutually beneficial grounds, actively cooperating with states and integration entities aimed at shaping the future of global relations.

"We are supporters of a strong Armenia," Kalugin added.