MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. Yerevan’s potential accession to the European Union and the introduction of visas for Russian and Iranian citizens would deal a serious blow to Armenia’s economy, Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexey Shevtsov told reporters.
"Armenia's EU accession and the potential introduction of visas with Russia and Iran would significantly reduce the tourist inflow. It would hit the country’s economy and people hard, given that the tourism industry accounts for about 13.5% of GDP and almost one-fourth of those officially employed work in this sector," he specified.
According to Shevtsov, Yerevan’s move to join politically motivated European sanctions would cause the country’s economy to contract further. "The transport sector would be affected the most as much of Armenia’s cargo turnover (up to 80%, according to the Eurasian Economic Commission) is related to Russia," Shevtsov pointed out. "Besides, EU accession would considerably change the flows of tourists and transit passengers: according to the 2025 data from Armenia’s Tourism Committee, almost half of the tourists visiting Armenia come from Russia (41%) and Iran (another 8%), while annual earnings from tourism services to Russian nationals reach $1 billion," the official added.