By Guy Faulconbridge and Lucy Papachristou MOSCOW, May 29 (Reuters) – A Russian-led economic ⁠union ⁠of former Soviet republics said on Friday ⁠it would consider suspending Armenia for seeking European Union membership and called on Yerevan ​to hold a referendum so its people could vote on which path to take.  Russia, distracted by the war in Ukraine, is trying to ‌keep Armenia in its orbit but Armenian ‌Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who faces an election on June 7, has tried to plot a path westwards while criticising Moscow ⁠in public. After ⁠a meeting in Astana, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) said it will consider suspending Armenia ​later this year out of concerns its pursuit of EU membership jeopardises the union’s economic security. The leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan said that Armenia’s westward integration posed “significant risks to the economic security” of the EAEU, and that its continued membership would be reviewed at the ​group’s next meeting in December. They also called on Yerevan to hold a popular referendum on joining the EU, and …