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EURASIAN EQUATION: ARMENIA SEES KARABAKH AS DE-FACTO PART OF EMERGING UNION
Analysis | 04.06.14 | 10:16
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow correspondent
Armenia's ruling party insists that Karabakh de jure will not join
the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) that is being formed by Russia,
Kazakhstan and Belarus, but de facto it will become part of it.
Goods produced in the country will have the same status as those
produced in EAEU member states, Gagik Minasyan, the head of the
committee on financial-credit and budgetary affairs at the Armenian
parliament, said. According to him, Armenia's membership in the EAEU
will open new economic opportunities for Nagorno-Karabakh. Minasyan
stressed that Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are a single economic area
and that there can be no customs point between them.
No one openly says what mechanisms are proposed to involve Karabakh
as well as other unrecognized countries like Abkhazia, South Ossetia
and Transnistria in the Eurasian Union. Moreover, in Armenia some
officials advise not mentioning Karabakh a lot in order not to obstruct
the already coordinated arrangements.
Apparently, the idea of Russian President Vladimir Putin is to
recreate a multinational Soviet Union where there were no closed
borders between the republics and where all issues were solved by the
Center. By creating such a structure, Putin intends to establish full
control over the post-Soviet territories of the Caucasus and Central
Asia, at the same time smoothing out the frozen conflicts and opening
old and new communications. This project is being steadily pushed
forward, even though elites in the countries resist the growing
Russian influence in decision-making.
Along with Armenia Putin is also trying to attract Azerbaijan to the
Eurasian Union. Russia's Minister of Economic Development Alexei
Ulyukayev stated in Baku that he had offered to the leadership of
Azerbaijan to join the Eurasian Union, which, he said, would promote
regional cooperation. Azerbaijan has not responded yet, evidently
it is waiting to see whether Armenia joins this union and, if yes,
then within what borders.
The mechanism of open borders between the countries of the future
Eurasian Union, including, perhaps, between Armenia and Azerbaijan,
looks vague. Membership of these countries in the CIS, the United
Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and other organizations
failed to lead to the lifting of blockades of the Armenian borders
by Azerbaijan and Turkey. It is yet difficult to imagine how this
can be done within the framework of the Eurasian Union.
Though, apparently, there are certain integration projects. In
particular, Armenian political analyst Artem Yerkanyan says that the
recent change of power in Abkhazia may lead to the reopening of railway
connection between Russia and Armenia. Meanwhile, acting President
of Abkhazia Valery Bganba said yesterday that there is no need to
work on agreements on deeper integration of Abkhazia with Russia. "I
do not see the need for new treaties. It is another thing that the
reality is changing and now the issue of Abkhazia's participation in
the Eurasian Union is on the agenda," said Bganba.
Does Armenia agree to enter into a single economic union with
Azerbaijan and what guarantees will it have that it will not lead
to the change in the status quo in the Karabakh conflict in favor
of Azerbaijan? The opposition Heritage party yesterday called for
abandoning the Eurasian project that it described as detrimental to
Armenia. However, representatives of the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia doggedly keep promoting this idea, insisting that on June
15 Armenia will join the Eurasian Union without any damage either to
itself or Nagorno-Karabakh.
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/54930/armenia_eurasian_union_accession_russia
Analysis | 04.06.14 | 10:16
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow correspondent
Armenia's ruling party insists that Karabakh de jure will not join
the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) that is being formed by Russia,
Kazakhstan and Belarus, but de facto it will become part of it.
Goods produced in the country will have the same status as those
produced in EAEU member states, Gagik Minasyan, the head of the
committee on financial-credit and budgetary affairs at the Armenian
parliament, said. According to him, Armenia's membership in the EAEU
will open new economic opportunities for Nagorno-Karabakh. Minasyan
stressed that Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are a single economic area
and that there can be no customs point between them.
No one openly says what mechanisms are proposed to involve Karabakh
as well as other unrecognized countries like Abkhazia, South Ossetia
and Transnistria in the Eurasian Union. Moreover, in Armenia some
officials advise not mentioning Karabakh a lot in order not to obstruct
the already coordinated arrangements.
Apparently, the idea of Russian President Vladimir Putin is to
recreate a multinational Soviet Union where there were no closed
borders between the republics and where all issues were solved by the
Center. By creating such a structure, Putin intends to establish full
control over the post-Soviet territories of the Caucasus and Central
Asia, at the same time smoothing out the frozen conflicts and opening
old and new communications. This project is being steadily pushed
forward, even though elites in the countries resist the growing
Russian influence in decision-making.
Along with Armenia Putin is also trying to attract Azerbaijan to the
Eurasian Union. Russia's Minister of Economic Development Alexei
Ulyukayev stated in Baku that he had offered to the leadership of
Azerbaijan to join the Eurasian Union, which, he said, would promote
regional cooperation. Azerbaijan has not responded yet, evidently
it is waiting to see whether Armenia joins this union and, if yes,
then within what borders.
The mechanism of open borders between the countries of the future
Eurasian Union, including, perhaps, between Armenia and Azerbaijan,
looks vague. Membership of these countries in the CIS, the United
Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and other organizations
failed to lead to the lifting of blockades of the Armenian borders
by Azerbaijan and Turkey. It is yet difficult to imagine how this
can be done within the framework of the Eurasian Union.
Though, apparently, there are certain integration projects. In
particular, Armenian political analyst Artem Yerkanyan says that the
recent change of power in Abkhazia may lead to the reopening of railway
connection between Russia and Armenia. Meanwhile, acting President
of Abkhazia Valery Bganba said yesterday that there is no need to
work on agreements on deeper integration of Abkhazia with Russia. "I
do not see the need for new treaties. It is another thing that the
reality is changing and now the issue of Abkhazia's participation in
the Eurasian Union is on the agenda," said Bganba.
Does Armenia agree to enter into a single economic union with
Azerbaijan and what guarantees will it have that it will not lead
to the change in the status quo in the Karabakh conflict in favor
of Azerbaijan? The opposition Heritage party yesterday called for
abandoning the Eurasian project that it described as detrimental to
Armenia. However, representatives of the ruling Republican Party of
Armenia doggedly keep promoting this idea, insisting that on June
15 Armenia will join the Eurasian Union without any damage either to
itself or Nagorno-Karabakh.
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/54930/armenia_eurasian_union_accession_russia