Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in the Russian Federation on a working visit.

The Prime Minister was welcomed at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport by Governor of St. Petersburg Aleksandr Beglov and Deputy Governor of St. Petersburg Boris Piotrovsky.

Prime Minister Pashinyan will participate in the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council today. 

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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in St. Petersburg. The Heads of EAEU member states were welcomed by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The session was held first in a narrow format, then in an expanded format.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made a speech, in which he, in particular, noted:

“Dear heads of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union,

Dear guests,

I am pleased to welcome you to the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for his hospitality and the excellent organization of today’s session.

Let me also wish the Republic of Kazakhstan successful and productive work during its upcoming presidency.

Dear participants of the session,

This year we are summarizing the implementation of the strategic directions for the development of Eurasian economic integration until 2025, within the framework of which significant practical experience of cooperation has been accumulated.

In this context, we are currently developing guidelines for the further development of Eurasian economic integration, based on the achieved results. And at this stage, it is important to ensure a clear separation between the areas of application of supranational mechanisms and those areas where national jurisdictions and sovereign decisions retain priority, which will ensure the stability of integration processes.

This year was especially significant in terms of the international cooperation of the EAEU. Interaction with key partners - Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Mongolia, China and India - is expanding, while new markets are opening up, which contributes to the diversification of exports and imports and strengthens the positions of the EAEU in the global economy.

In this context, of course, we welcome the signing of a free trade agreement with the Republic of Indonesia.

The Republic of Armenia also attaches importance to the development of a constructive dialogue with observer states that have shown a sustained interest for cooperation with the EAEU.

Ensuring the smooth functioning of the internal market is one of the primary goals of integration. This implies the consistent elimination of barriers, the digitalization and simplification of regulatory procedures, as well as the creation of equal competitive conditions for all participants in the economic process.

I am convinced that the Commission, together with the governments of the Member States, should continue to resolve sensitive issues by developing mutually acceptable arrangements.

Let me highlight the prospects for developing cooperation in the field of transport and logistics, based on the principles of reciprocity, equality, sovereignty and national jurisdiction.

In this context, I would like to note that the positive and constructive changes taking place are creating new opportunities for all countries in the wider region, contributing to strengthening economic stability and expanding regional communications.

In this regard, I express my appreciation to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for his decision to lift the blockade on the transit of goods through the territory of Azerbaijan to Armenia, as well as for creating conditions for the start of bilateral trade.

This is one of the first significant achievements in establishing peace and stability in the region.

Colleagues,

In recent years, the importance of service sector in our economies has been steadily growing. This sector forms a significant part of GDP and employment.

The functioning of the Single Market for Services improves the quality and competitiveness of suppliers, simplifies procedures and creates a more favorable environment for business.

We believe that the development of this direction should be more dynamic, since it directly affects the economic growth of the EAEU member states.

An equally significant direction is digitalization. Sustainable development today is impossible without the introduction of digital technologies, which form a solid foundation, including for e-commerce.

This year, a consensus has been achieved on key issues of regulating e-commerce. Agreed decisions create the basis for a unified, but at the same time flexible approach, and a number of mechanisms are already being introduced, creating predictable conditions for market participants.

In this context, one of the key practical directions of integration this year was increasing the transparency and traceability of the movement of goods.

The development of stamping systems, together with the necessary digital integration of the fiscal and budgetary systems of the member states, contributes to increasing the efficiency of tax administration and reducing shadow turnover.

These measures are aimed at ensuring fair competition and protecting the EAEU internal market, while reducing the administrative burden on business.

The tourism sector has a significant multiplier effect and contribution to the economies of the EAEU countries, and the Tourism Development Concept adopted today will provide a new impetus to increasing mutual tourist flows.

Dear colleagues,

In conclusion, let me once again reaffirm the commitment of the Republic of Armenia to mutually beneficial cooperation within the EAEU framework, for the benefit of economic stability and sustainable development of our region.

Taking this opportunity, I congratulate you all on the upcoming New Year and wish you success in 2026, and peace, well-being and prosperity to our peoples.

Thank you for your attention''.

During the session, issues related to the further development of cooperation within the EAEU framework were discussed. In particular, the formation of a common market for oil and oil products within the EAEU framework, the EAEU budget for the coming year, and issues related to cooperation with third countries were discussed. The Tourism Development Concept was approved.

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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the non-formal summit of the heads of the CIS member states in St. Petersburg. The event was held at the Hermitage Museum Complex.

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a welcoming speech, emphasizing the importance of the development and expansion of cooperation within the CIS. The Russian President expressed hope that next year cooperation will expand in all areas. He also congratulated those present on the occasion of the New Year and Christmas holidays and wished them success.

The leaders of the countries, accompanied by Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky, toured the museum complex and got acquainted with the exhibits. They also visited the Armenian Hall of Culture and Art.

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A private meeting between the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin took place in St. Petersburg.

In his speech, the President of the Russian Federation noted: “Dear Nikol Vovayevich, I would like to greet you once again and thank you for participating in these events organized within the framework of the EAEU and the CIS.

Yesterday and today we already exchanged assessments of our work. In general, in my opinion, everything went very well.

I hope the atmosphere was good. But most importantly, our teams worked hard in all directions, prepared good documents, everything has been signed, everything is moving forward.

As for bilateral relations, they are developing. Our trade turnover has been regularized, we talked about it yesterday. If in 2024 it exceeded 11 billion, then in the first nine months of this year it amounted to 4.5 billion. This is also a good indicator, and gives us reason to believe that in the near future we will increase it.

We also have good plans, we have already discussed energy, including nuclear energy. We will not go into details now, but there is an opportunity to discuss, to talk, as well as about the logistics sector.

During our previous meeting, you raised various issues that we can work on together, including the restoration of old routes and the creation of new routes that will open the borders of Armenia. So, in general, everything is going well. Of course, there are other issues that we will discuss now.

I am very glad to see you. Thank you for being here."

In turn, Prime Minister Pashinyan noted: "Thank you very much, Vladimir Vladimirovich, for the invitation.

I think we spent very eventful two days together in the EAEU and CIS formats. Of course, very important decisions were made. And now, this is the logical end of my working visit to St. Petersburg.

Of course, very important and, fortunately, positive developments are taking place in our region. And I would like to thank you for your support for the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And, as we said in our phone conversation after August 8, the achieved peace will open up new opportunities for the further development of bilateral relations between Armenia and Russia.

And this has already happened, because trains from Russia are already going to Armenia through the territory of Azerbaijan, which, I think, is a truly historic event. And, as you have already mentioned, new opportunities are opening up. The moment has come for the restoration of some other railway sections in our country.

I am referring, in particular, to the Ijevan, Yeraskh and Akhurik sections. These are the railways that connect Armenia with Azerbaijan, the main part of Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan and Türkiye, since a fairly active political process is underway. I cannot say that there are already political decisions on the reopening of these railways. But I think that the situation has matured to the point that it is necessary to carry out preparatory work.

We are also currently conducting very constructive bilateral negotiations with the United States on the implementation and construction of the TRIPP project. These are truly significant and meaningful changes for our region. There are also many nuances here that relate to our bilateral relations with Russia.

And today, I think, is a very good opportunity to discuss all these issues.

Thank you again for the invitation, the wonderful program and atmosphere, and the very high level of organization of working and cultural events.

Thank you very much."

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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with the representatives of the Armenian community of St. Petersburg.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister touched upon the issues discussed during the meeting with the Russian President, the priorities of the Armenian Government, foreign policy, the pace of economic development, the ideology of the Real Armenia, developments in trade and economic cooperation in the region, the TRIPP project and other topics.

Prime Minister Pashinyan also answered questions from the meeting participants.