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The European Union is already demanding political loyalty and commitment to anti-Russian sanctions from Armenia, however, without giving Yerevan any specific guarantees instead, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said in an interview with Izvestia, according to TASS.

"As for <…> the issue about the beginning of talks between Armenia and the EU on various projects aiming for a rapprochement and, particularly, a visa-free regime, then, yes, such talks have kicked off. We see that here the European Union also remains true to itself because, without issuing any particular promises or making any serious decisions with regard to visa-free relations, it is already demanding political loyalty and commitment to anti-Russian sanctions from Armenia," he noted.

The senior Russian diplomat also reiterated that Moscow clearly indicated to Yerevan the impossibility of simultaneous membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union. "These are completely different systems and it is simply impossible to remain in both of them at once," Galuzin emphasized, adding that Armenia’s membership in the EAEU carries "palpable and substantial long-term benefits such as growing trade and investments."