Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that Yerevan has abandoned the idea of holding a referendum on joining the European Union (EU).

Operativ Media reports that he made the remarks during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

According to Pashinyan, the relevant law has already been adopted.

However, he emphasized that Yerevan is interested in further deepening relations with Russia.

During the meeting, Putin disagreed with Pashinyan's assertion that the adoption of the law did not constitute a declaration of Armenia's withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

"I do not agree with you on the main issue. You said that you did not make a statement about leaving. The adoption of a law on initiating the procedure to join another economic organization actually means leaving our organization," the Russian President said.

In response, Pashinyan stated that, on the contrary, the adoption of the law meant Armenia was abandoning the idea of holding a referendum on EU accession.

"By adopting the law, we abandoned the idea of a referendum because this issue has not matured to the level where it can be presented to the people, as Armenia has no real alternative," Pashinyan said.