Tweet
Key Summit On Armenia's Eurasian Union Bid Cancelled
By MassisPost
Updated: July 4, 2014
YEREVAN -- Raising more questions about Armenia's accession to the
Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), Prime Minister Hovik
Abrahamian has announced the cancellation of a summit of ex-Soviet
states which was due to discuss Yerevan's membership bid.
"There was an agreement that the presidents will meet on July 3. But
the meeting will not take place," Abrahamian told reporters late on
Thursday.
He did not clarify whether the meeting was due to involve the
presidents of only Armenia and Russia or also the EEU's two other
member states: Belarus and Kazakhstan. The EEU's most recent summit
took place on May 29 and the leaders of three ex-Soviet states
announced no plans to meet again this summer.
Abrahamian stressed the importance of the July 3 meeting last week
when he commented on an increasingly obvious delay in Armenia's
accession process which President Serzh Sarkisian had hoped to
complete this spring. "Things will be clear after the July 3 meeting,"
the premier said on June 26.
"We don't know the reasons [for the delay] but ... we have fulfilled all
of our obligations," Abrahamian told reporters on Thursday. At the
same time he expressed confidence that Armenia will join the EEU
"before the end of this year." "I see no political problems," he said
in reference to mounting speculation that Moscow is currently not
interested in the quick signing of an accession treaty with Yerevan
despite having forced the latter to abandon an Association Agreement
with the European Union last year.
Abrahamian further announced that he will meet with Russian Prime
Minister Dmitry Medvedev on July 11 to discuss this and other issues
of mutual interest. "We will have an answer on my return," he said. "I
also know that the presidents of Armenia and Russia will meet in the
future."
Politicians and experts point to a number of possible reasons for the
difficulties on the way of Armenia's Eurasian integration. For
instance, Prosperous Armenia Party MP Mikael Melkumyan mentions
failure to agree on the issue of customs exemptions on 900 basic types
of commodities. Duties on these goods were to rise after Armenia's
entry into the Russian-led trade bloc, which would have caused a
socio-economic collapse in the country.
Others point to Russia's failed plan for a simultaneous integration of
Armenia and Azerbaijan into the Eurasian Union. For example, member of
the opposition Heritage party Stepan Safaryan links Armenia's
"insurmountable difficulties" with Eurasian integration to the
Karabakh problem. Experts say that Russia intended to introduce
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) peacekeeping forces
into Karabakh and, by dividing Karabakh, attract Armenia and
Azerbaijan to the Union.
Armenia's neighbor Georgia also showed a tough stance. It is through
this country that Armenia has the only path towards Russia. Despite
the June visit by President Serzh Sargsyan and the warm welcome that
he got in Tbilisi, Georgia categorically refused to authorize a
customs duty-free transit of goods to Russia from Armenia and back.
This means that attempts to secure a land link between Armenia and the
EaEU have also failed.
http://massispost.com/2014/07/key-summit-on-armenias-eurasian-union-bid-cancelled/
By MassisPost
Updated: July 4, 2014
YEREVAN -- Raising more questions about Armenia's accession to the
Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), Prime Minister Hovik
Abrahamian has announced the cancellation of a summit of ex-Soviet
states which was due to discuss Yerevan's membership bid.
"There was an agreement that the presidents will meet on July 3. But
the meeting will not take place," Abrahamian told reporters late on
Thursday.
He did not clarify whether the meeting was due to involve the
presidents of only Armenia and Russia or also the EEU's two other
member states: Belarus and Kazakhstan. The EEU's most recent summit
took place on May 29 and the leaders of three ex-Soviet states
announced no plans to meet again this summer.
Abrahamian stressed the importance of the July 3 meeting last week
when he commented on an increasingly obvious delay in Armenia's
accession process which President Serzh Sarkisian had hoped to
complete this spring. "Things will be clear after the July 3 meeting,"
the premier said on June 26.
"We don't know the reasons [for the delay] but ... we have fulfilled all
of our obligations," Abrahamian told reporters on Thursday. At the
same time he expressed confidence that Armenia will join the EEU
"before the end of this year." "I see no political problems," he said
in reference to mounting speculation that Moscow is currently not
interested in the quick signing of an accession treaty with Yerevan
despite having forced the latter to abandon an Association Agreement
with the European Union last year.
Abrahamian further announced that he will meet with Russian Prime
Minister Dmitry Medvedev on July 11 to discuss this and other issues
of mutual interest. "We will have an answer on my return," he said. "I
also know that the presidents of Armenia and Russia will meet in the
future."
Politicians and experts point to a number of possible reasons for the
difficulties on the way of Armenia's Eurasian integration. For
instance, Prosperous Armenia Party MP Mikael Melkumyan mentions
failure to agree on the issue of customs exemptions on 900 basic types
of commodities. Duties on these goods were to rise after Armenia's
entry into the Russian-led trade bloc, which would have caused a
socio-economic collapse in the country.
Others point to Russia's failed plan for a simultaneous integration of
Armenia and Azerbaijan into the Eurasian Union. For example, member of
the opposition Heritage party Stepan Safaryan links Armenia's
"insurmountable difficulties" with Eurasian integration to the
Karabakh problem. Experts say that Russia intended to introduce
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) peacekeeping forces
into Karabakh and, by dividing Karabakh, attract Armenia and
Azerbaijan to the Union.
Armenia's neighbor Georgia also showed a tough stance. It is through
this country that Armenia has the only path towards Russia. Despite
the June visit by President Serzh Sargsyan and the warm welcome that
he got in Tbilisi, Georgia categorically refused to authorize a
customs duty-free transit of goods to Russia from Armenia and back.
This means that attempts to secure a land link between Armenia and the
EaEU have also failed.
http://massispost.com/2014/07/key-summit-on-armenias-eurasian-union-bid-cancelled/