The future enlargement of the Eurasian Economic Union is theoretically open to any of the post-Soviet states and potentially any country of Europe or Asia. In order to accede, a state must fulfill certain economic and political requirements. Enlargement of the Eurasian Economic Union is also subject to the consent of all existing members and the candidate's adoption of existing EEU laws and implementing previous decisions made by the Eurasian Economic Commission. The present agenda of the enlargement of the Eurasian Economic Union is primarily focused on Tajikistan. Meanwhile, Moldova was granted Observer Status in April 2017, followed by Uzbekistan and Cuba in December 2020. The process of enlargement is referred to as Eurasian integration or Eurasianism. This term is also used to refer to the intensification of economic cooperation between Eurasian Economic Union member states.
Past enlargement
Armenia In December 2012, Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan stated that EU, CIS and Eurasian integration need not be mutually exclusive. Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for the former EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, responded that "if Armenia were to join any customs union, this would not be compatible with concluding a bilateral Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between the EU and Armenia because a customs union has a common external trade policy and an individual member country no longer has sovereign control over its external trade policies."
Although Armenia completed its negotiations with the European Union towards signing an Association Agreement in July 2013, on 3 September 2013, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan announced in Moscow that Armenia will join the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia. A Russian government communique stated that, "Armenia [has] decided to join the Customs Union and take the necessary practical steps to subsequently participate in the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union." This decision was widely described as a "U-turn" by the Western media. On 2 October 2013, Sargsyan stated at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe session that Armenia was still prepared to sign a deal with the EU during the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius in November 2013, without the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area component of the agreement that contradicts Armenia's membership in the Eurasian Customs Union.President Sargsyan says Armenia to continue cooperation with EU , ArmeniaNow.com (2 October 2013)Armenia's Receding European Ambitions , Institute for War and Peace Reporting (18 October 2013) This proposal was rejected by the EU and no deal was signed between Armenia and the EU at the summit.EU Not Interested in Armenia Deal Ahead of Summit, Asbarez (9 October 2013) On 9 October 2014, Armenia signed a treaty on its accession to the EEU and became the newest member state on 2 January 2015. Many criticized Russia for pressuring Sargsyan to abandon the deal with the EU.
Although Armenia's trade with members of the European Union far exceeds that with the Eurasian Customs Union members of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan combined, Armenia is dependent on Russia for security. Armenia's alliance with Russia is seen by Armenia as a counterbalance to Azerbaijan's sharp hike in military spending (Azerbaijan bought tanks, artillery cannons and rocket launchers worth billions of US dollars from Russia in 2011, 2012 and 2013).Russia starts delivering $1 billion arms package to Azerbaijan, Reuters (18 June 2013)Azerbaijan hikes military spending to $3.7B as tensions persist with neighboring Armenia, Fox News Channel (16 January 2013)Azeri-Russian Arms Trade $4 Billion Amid Tension With Armenia, Bloomberg L.P. (13 August 2013) This is seen by Armenia as a threat given that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved. Russia also maintains an active military base in Armenia.
Support and opposition According to a poll conducted by Gallup International Association in October 2013, 64% of Armenians are in favor of Armenia's membership in the union. Past factions in the Armenian National Assembly, have either stated their support or their lack of opposition to the Armenian government's decision to join the union, while others favor launching accession negotiations with the European Union. Meanwhile, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Armenia's First President and the leader of the Armenian National Congress, stated during a rally on 1 March 2014 that the decision is irreversible. In an October 2014 rally, Ter-Petrosyan reiterated that Armenia's membership is an "irreversible process" and is now a fait accompli. "He never said that the entry is profitable. Instead, he accused those who oppose it of 'adventurism'." He "cited the example of the events in Ukraine, which has lost a lot due to its failure to agree to join the 'New USSR', and the same could also happen to Armenia." Ter-Petrosyan stated: "Is it really so hard to understand that in such a situation our country would simply disappear from the world map? ... Even the West treats Armenia's decision with understanding, while a group of people here are trying to prove the opposite and push for an anti-Russian movement."
Among the most notable opponents of Armenia's membership to the union are the four former foreign affairs ministers: Raffi Hovannisian (1991–92), Vahan Papazyan (1993–96), Alexander Arzumanyan (1996–98) and Vartan Oskanian (1998–2008). Hovannisian, who officially came second in the 2013 presidential election, stated that Armenia's accession to the Eurasian Union "limits its sovereignty." Hovannisian's Heritage party opposes Armenia's membership in the union. Other significant politicians who have stated their opposition include former prime minister Aram Sargsyan and Soviet dissident Paruyr Hayrikyan, whose party Union for National Self-Determination, actively calls for Armenia to withdraw its membership from the Eurasian Union. Former prime minister Hrant Bagratyan, although not actively opposing the union, stated that Armenia is an "exclave" of the union and is not a "welcomed guest" there.
In 2013, Avetik Ishkhanyan, chairman of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia stated, "If the Armenian government had any intention of altering human rights protections [for the better], it would never have decided to join the Eurasian Economic Union, in which respect for human rights is absent at a structural level." Meanwhile, the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly–Vanadzor submitted a motion to the Court of Appeal to declare the decision to join the Eurasian Union illegal.
In December 2014, leader of the Armenian National Movement Party, Ararat Zurabyan stated, "Armenia's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union is the beginning of the collapse of Armenia."
On 9 June 2015, Styopa Safaryan, Head of the Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs, stated that Russia had blackmailed Armenia to not sign an Association Agreement with the EU. Safaryan said that Russia had isolated Armenia and called on Armenian authorities to resume negotiations on signing an agreement with the EU. On 10 August 2015, Safaryan also stated that there are no benefits of Armenia joining the Eurasian Economic Union and that joining the economic union had brought no improvements to the Armenian economy.
On 24 February 2017, Tigran Sargsyan, the chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission stated that Armenia's stance was to cooperate and work with both the European Union and the Eurasian Union. Sargsyan added that although Armenia is part of the Eurasian Union, a newly revised Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement would be finalized in November 2017.
Prior to the 2018 Armenian parliamentary election, several political parties campaigned on a pro-European agenda. Bright Armenia, the Republic Party, the Rule of Law Party, the Free Democrats and the European Party of Armenia for example, support Armenia's withdrawal from the Eurasian Union and wish to renegotiate an Association Agreement including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the European Union.
A 2018 survey conducted by EU Neighbors East determined that 70% of people in Armenia trust the EU (up 5% from 2017), while trust in the Eurasian Economic Union (48%) has declined.
In November 2020, the European Party of Armenia, the Union for National Self-Determination and the Sasna Tsrer Pan-Armenian Party held a rally in central Yerevan. The three parties called for the creation of a truly sovereign Armenia by ending Russian political occupation, while aligning closer with Europe. Chairman of the European Party of Armenia, Tigran Khzmalyan, has also called for Armenia to withdraw from the CSTO military alliance.
On 8 March 2024, Armenian foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated, "Armenia is seeking to get closer to the West amid worsening relations with Russia" and "New opportunities are largely being discussed in Armenia nowadays, that includes membership in the European Union".
Gurgen Simonyan, Chairman of the Meritocratic Party of Armenia, called for the complete withdrawal of Armenia from all Russian led organizations, including the Eurasian Union.
A July 2024 Gallup opinion poll found that 56.7% of respondents supported Armenia joining the European Union, while 28.8% believed Armenia should "definitely" strive for EU membership even if its at the cost of leaving the Eurasian Economic Union.
On 9 September 2024, prime minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed that the issue of starting the EU membership process has become part of the Armenian political agenda. Pashinyan stated, "discussions are underway in the country regarding the possibility of Armenia becoming a member of the European Union," during a meeting with vice-president of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas.
On 12 February 2025, Armenia's parliament approved a bill officially endorsing Armenia's EU accession. In response, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk stated "the EU accession process will mark the beginning of Armenia's withdrawal from the Eurasian Economic Union." At the Eurasian Economic Union summit held in Astana, Kazakhstan on 28–29 May 2026, the leaders of four member countries (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia) called on Armenia to hold a referendum as soon as possible on membership in either the European Union or the Eurasian Economic Union.EAEU leaders call for referendum in Armenia to choose between EU and EAEU Republic of Artsakh The former breakaway state of the Republic of Artsakh did not enter the Eurasian Union upon Armenia's accession in January 2015. However, the government of Armenia stressed that under no circumstances would a customs checkpoint be set up between Armenia and Artsakh.
Kyrgyzstan In October 2011, the acting prime minister of Kyrgyzstan announced that his country will join the union, and that the process had been agreed to with the prime ministers of the other member states. On 11 August 2014, the Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atambayev, met with Russian president Vladimir Putin and stated that Kyrgyzstan plans to join the Eurasian Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union by the end of 2014. Kyrgyzstan signed an accession treaty on 23 December 2014. It ratified its accession treaty in May 2015, and it came into force on 6 August 2015, when it became the newest member state.
Crimea The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in early 2014 made Crimea a de facto part of the Eurasian Economic Union as a territory of Russia.
Southern and Eastern Ukraine The Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts of Ukraine in 2022 has led to parts of Eastern and Southern Ukraine being annexed by Russia and de facto becoming new oblasts of Russia.
Potential future enlargement
Azerbaijan