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ARMENIA EYES TO JOIN RUSSIA-LED TRADE BLOC
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 4 2013
NOVO-OGARYOVO - Reuters
Armenia will join a customs union led by its former Soviet master
Russia, President Serzh Sarksyan said on late Sept. 3 after talks
with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Much smaller than its energy-exporting neighbors, Armenia's economy
will not hugely increase the union's overall trade figures when it
joins Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in a bloc based on ties remaining
from the former Soviet Union.
But Putin welcomed the move as a diplomatic victory at a time when
he is struggling to bring former Soviet republics closer together
and stop Ukraine from slipping into the orbit of the European Union.
"The Russian side supports the decision by Armenia to enter the
customs union ... We will fully work for this to happen," Putin said.
Yerevan's membership still must be approved by the other union members.
Russia is the country's largest trading partner, and their bilateral
trade grew 22 percent to $1.2 billion last year. Russia is also
the biggest foreign investor in Armenia with a total of $3 billion
in investments.
September/04/2013
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 4 2013
NOVO-OGARYOVO - Reuters
Armenia will join a customs union led by its former Soviet master
Russia, President Serzh Sarksyan said on late Sept. 3 after talks
with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Much smaller than its energy-exporting neighbors, Armenia's economy
will not hugely increase the union's overall trade figures when it
joins Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in a bloc based on ties remaining
from the former Soviet Union.
But Putin welcomed the move as a diplomatic victory at a time when
he is struggling to bring former Soviet republics closer together
and stop Ukraine from slipping into the orbit of the European Union.
"The Russian side supports the decision by Armenia to enter the
customs union ... We will fully work for this to happen," Putin said.
Yerevan's membership still must be approved by the other union members.
Russia is the country's largest trading partner, and their bilateral
trade grew 22 percent to $1.2 billion last year. Russia is also
the biggest foreign investor in Armenia with a total of $3 billion
in investments.
September/04/2013