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DCFTA: EU DEMANDED INTRODUCING CUSTOMS BORDER WITH KARABAKH?
September 19, 2013 - 18:45 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The chair of the standing parliamentary committee
on foreign relations Artak Zakaryan neither confirmed nor denied the
reports that the EU-Armenia Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area
(DCFTA) envisaged introduction of a customs border with the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic, Novosti-Armenia said.
However, he gave a reason behind the unreleased texts of the
Association Agreement and DCFTA: "in international practice,
the documents are not published during negotiations and before the
initialing. With the contents of the document likely to be reformulated
or amendments introduced, it's unreasonable to publish a new paper
every time it's done," Zakaryan said.
"The document contained a number of clauses protecting Armenia's
interests, However, there were also some paragraphs which technically
contradicted to the principles of the Customs Union, and now the
European side is unwilling to initial the document in the agreed form,"
the parliamentarian added.
According to Panorama.am, a member of the Republican Party of Armenia
execute body Gagik Minasyan believes that Armenia's accession to the
Customs Union will lead to recognition of the NKR as the international
entity.
"This is the reason why Azerbaijan, wary of the danger of the NKR's
de facto recognition, takes every effort to undermined integration
processes in the framework of the customs Union, involving Armenia,"
he said. The Armenia-EU ties have cooled down following President
Sargsyan's voicing Armenia's readiness to join Customs Union, with
further plans to be involved in formation of Eurasian Economic Union.
However, later the European Commission said that the Association
Agreement (including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area) with
Armenia can be compatible with economic cooperation with the members
of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
When in St. Petersburg to attend the G20 summit, European Council
President Herman Van Rompuy said that Armenia, Moldova, and, if
possible, Ukraine will hopefully sign the Association Agreement at
the Vilnius Summit in November 2013.
"This is a political agreement. The Agreement would allow Armenia to
go through comprehensive change both politically and economically.
Therefore, after getting the news about Armenia's plans of joining the
Custom's Union the EU expects to hear from Armenia what her further
plans are. We have not received official explanations from Armenia,
yet we don't think this is a zero sum game and the same refers to
Ukraine. Some benchmarks will be necessary to meet. There are some
outstanding issues but we hope to see results in Vilnius. We are still
engaged with these countries and still expect to sign the Association
Agreements," he said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Stefan Fule, the European Commissioner for
Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, said that the European
Parliament is not going to initialize either the Associated Agreement
or the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with Armenia, as it's
not compatible with membership in the Customs Union.
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/170211/DCFTA_EU_demanded_introducing_customs_border_with_ Karabakh
From: A. Papazian
September 19, 2013 - 18:45 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The chair of the standing parliamentary committee
on foreign relations Artak Zakaryan neither confirmed nor denied the
reports that the EU-Armenia Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area
(DCFTA) envisaged introduction of a customs border with the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic, Novosti-Armenia said.
However, he gave a reason behind the unreleased texts of the
Association Agreement and DCFTA: "in international practice,
the documents are not published during negotiations and before the
initialing. With the contents of the document likely to be reformulated
or amendments introduced, it's unreasonable to publish a new paper
every time it's done," Zakaryan said.
"The document contained a number of clauses protecting Armenia's
interests, However, there were also some paragraphs which technically
contradicted to the principles of the Customs Union, and now the
European side is unwilling to initial the document in the agreed form,"
the parliamentarian added.
According to Panorama.am, a member of the Republican Party of Armenia
execute body Gagik Minasyan believes that Armenia's accession to the
Customs Union will lead to recognition of the NKR as the international
entity.
"This is the reason why Azerbaijan, wary of the danger of the NKR's
de facto recognition, takes every effort to undermined integration
processes in the framework of the customs Union, involving Armenia,"
he said. The Armenia-EU ties have cooled down following President
Sargsyan's voicing Armenia's readiness to join Customs Union, with
further plans to be involved in formation of Eurasian Economic Union.
However, later the European Commission said that the Association
Agreement (including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area) with
Armenia can be compatible with economic cooperation with the members
of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
When in St. Petersburg to attend the G20 summit, European Council
President Herman Van Rompuy said that Armenia, Moldova, and, if
possible, Ukraine will hopefully sign the Association Agreement at
the Vilnius Summit in November 2013.
"This is a political agreement. The Agreement would allow Armenia to
go through comprehensive change both politically and economically.
Therefore, after getting the news about Armenia's plans of joining the
Custom's Union the EU expects to hear from Armenia what her further
plans are. We have not received official explanations from Armenia,
yet we don't think this is a zero sum game and the same refers to
Ukraine. Some benchmarks will be necessary to meet. There are some
outstanding issues but we hope to see results in Vilnius. We are still
engaged with these countries and still expect to sign the Association
Agreements," he said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Stefan Fule, the European Commissioner for
Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy, said that the European
Parliament is not going to initialize either the Associated Agreement
or the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with Armenia, as it's
not compatible with membership in the Customs Union.
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/170211/DCFTA_EU_demanded_introducing_customs_border_with_ Karabakh
From: A. Papazian