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ARMENIA TO JOIN EAEU WITHOUT KARABAKH: BUT PREZ SARGSYAN EMPHASIZES "SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP"
ANALYSIS | 19.06.14 | 10:13
By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The latest of the rare interviews by Armenia's president, which he
gave to the Public Television on Tuesday, gave rise to fresh criticism
regarding his domestic and foreign policies.
Even though Serzh Sargsyan apparently gave that interview for the
purpose of dispelling some of the concerns lingering in society
by presenting a government viewpoint on a wide range of issues,
it seemed to have raised more questions than provided answers.
One of the main messages of the interview concerned the process of
Armenia's accession to the Russian-led Customs Union and relations with
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) after that. Reaffirming Armenia's
commitment to joining the Customs Union, the Armenian president
emphasized that he disagrees with the opinion that "the Customs Union
member countries do not want Armenia to join the Customs Union."
"The Republic of Armenia will be joining the Customs Union within
the borders recognized by itself, just like the Republic of Armenia
acceded to all other international structures for the past 22-23
years," the Armenian head of state emphasized.
Politician analyst Edward Antinyan says that while the president
continues to insist that Armenia will join the Customs Union, in
reality it is going to join directly the Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU)
in order to avoid the issues that will arise over the fate of the NKR.
"It is another economic union where he will also have to say something
about the borders," said the analyst, according to zham.am, adding
that now that President Sargsyan says that Nagorno-Karabakh is an
independent state, tomorrow Armenia, as part of the new economic union,
will have to deal with this state in that very format.
"It would be naive to think that we'll ask for an exception and
they will allow us to have the organic connection that we have had
with Karabakh so far. To put it bluntly, it's like we have another
guest from the godfather's side," said the analyst, stressing that
in that case Kazakhstan and Russia will say that organically they
are connected to some of their neighbors.
"It is not serious, it will become the Eurasian Economic kindergarten,"
Antinyan said.
When in September 2013 Armenia made a decision, which was a surprise
at least to its own people, to change its policy toward European
association and start moving towards the Eurasian Union of Russia,
Belarus and Kazakhstan, some pro-government forces in Yerevan
said that Brussels was not giving any guarantees in connection with
Nagorno-Karabakh, while Russia, a key member in the emerging Eurasian
Union, will support Armenia as a member of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The CSTO ideology implies that in the event of a threat to the
security of any of its member country the other countries must show
military support. Clearly, the defense pact also implies some allied
political relations.
But already in late May during a Customs Union summit in Astana,
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev cited a letter from
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, calling for the admission
of Armenia to the Eurasian Economic Union only within its "United
Nations-recognized borders", i.e. without Nagorno-Karabakh.
What Sargsyan said on Tuesday, in fact, was in line with the demands
made by President Aliyev and voiced by Nazarbayev. In doing so, though,
the Armenian president stressed the "special relationship" between
the Republic of Armenia and the "second Armenian republic - the NKR".
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/55369/armenia_president_serzh_sargsyan_interview_reactio ns
From: Baghdasarian
ANALYSIS | 19.06.14 | 10:13
By SARA KHOJOYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The latest of the rare interviews by Armenia's president, which he
gave to the Public Television on Tuesday, gave rise to fresh criticism
regarding his domestic and foreign policies.
Even though Serzh Sargsyan apparently gave that interview for the
purpose of dispelling some of the concerns lingering in society
by presenting a government viewpoint on a wide range of issues,
it seemed to have raised more questions than provided answers.
One of the main messages of the interview concerned the process of
Armenia's accession to the Russian-led Customs Union and relations with
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) after that. Reaffirming Armenia's
commitment to joining the Customs Union, the Armenian president
emphasized that he disagrees with the opinion that "the Customs Union
member countries do not want Armenia to join the Customs Union."
"The Republic of Armenia will be joining the Customs Union within
the borders recognized by itself, just like the Republic of Armenia
acceded to all other international structures for the past 22-23
years," the Armenian head of state emphasized.
Politician analyst Edward Antinyan says that while the president
continues to insist that Armenia will join the Customs Union, in
reality it is going to join directly the Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU)
in order to avoid the issues that will arise over the fate of the NKR.
"It is another economic union where he will also have to say something
about the borders," said the analyst, according to zham.am, adding
that now that President Sargsyan says that Nagorno-Karabakh is an
independent state, tomorrow Armenia, as part of the new economic union,
will have to deal with this state in that very format.
"It would be naive to think that we'll ask for an exception and
they will allow us to have the organic connection that we have had
with Karabakh so far. To put it bluntly, it's like we have another
guest from the godfather's side," said the analyst, stressing that
in that case Kazakhstan and Russia will say that organically they
are connected to some of their neighbors.
"It is not serious, it will become the Eurasian Economic kindergarten,"
Antinyan said.
When in September 2013 Armenia made a decision, which was a surprise
at least to its own people, to change its policy toward European
association and start moving towards the Eurasian Union of Russia,
Belarus and Kazakhstan, some pro-government forces in Yerevan
said that Brussels was not giving any guarantees in connection with
Nagorno-Karabakh, while Russia, a key member in the emerging Eurasian
Union, will support Armenia as a member of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The CSTO ideology implies that in the event of a threat to the
security of any of its member country the other countries must show
military support. Clearly, the defense pact also implies some allied
political relations.
But already in late May during a Customs Union summit in Astana,
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev cited a letter from
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, calling for the admission
of Armenia to the Eurasian Economic Union only within its "United
Nations-recognized borders", i.e. without Nagorno-Karabakh.
What Sargsyan said on Tuesday, in fact, was in line with the demands
made by President Aliyev and voiced by Nazarbayev. In doing so, though,
the Armenian president stressed the "special relationship" between
the Republic of Armenia and the "second Armenian republic - the NKR".
http://armenianow.com/commentary/analysis/55369/armenia_president_serzh_sargsyan_interview_reactio ns
From: Baghdasarian