Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Eu Not Waiting For Armenia With Open Arms: Russian Senator Says

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Eu Not Waiting For Armenia With Open Arms: Russian Senator Says

    EU NOT WAITING FOR ARMENIA WITH OPEN ARMS: RUSSIAN SENATOR SAYS

    YEREVAN, November 29. / ARKA /. Armenia's possible accession to the
    EU would not justify expectations of part of its citizens, because no
    one in the EU is waiting for Armenia with open arms, Nikolay Ryzhkov,
    the co-chairman of the Russian-Armenian inter-parliamentary cooperation
    commission, and a member of the Russian Federation Council, the upper
    chamber of the Russian parliament, said today in Yerevan.

    "Some people think the main focus should be on the European
    integration, which they say is real, while the proposed Eurasian Union
    is just an idea. My personal opinion is that these people should not
    indulge in illusions,' he said at a news conference in the Armenian
    parliament.

    Ryzhkov said 20 years ago Russians discussed hotly the possible
    integration with the West, as its opponents warned that "the West
    needs Russia completely for other purposes" and they appeared to be
    right. No one was waiting for us there, and we gradually slid to our
    former position. It is certainly Armenians' business. If you want to
    become part of European community, go ahead, but please have in mind
    no one there will welcome you with kisses," he said.

    As for Eurasian integration Ryzhkov said when this idea is translated
    into reality it will equally reflect the interests of all member
    countries.

    "The Eurasian Union will be the union of old friends, because it is
    already 20 years we are different countries, but we still hail from
    the same nest ," he added.

    The idea of the Eurasian Union was first proposed in 1994 by Kazakh
    President Nursultan Nazarbayev. In early October 2011, in an article
    for "Izvestia" daily Russia's Putin wrote that the Eurasian Union could
    be set up on the basis of the customs union of Russia, Belarus and
    Kazakhstan. The article said the Eurasian Union is not an attempt to
    restore former Soviet Union or replace the CIS, but an effective "link"
    between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, with close coordination
    of economic and monetary policies of member states.

    The EU has been negotiating an Association Agreement with Armenia
    since July 2010 in the framework of the Eastern Partnership and the
    European Neighborhood Policy. The future Deep and Comprehensive Free
    Trade Area will be part of this Agreement, which aims at closely
    associating this country to the EU both in economic and political
    terms, in line with the Eastern Partnership objectives. The future
    trade relations will therefore expand significantly beyond the scope
    of current cooperation, set out in the Partnership and Cooperation
    Agreements, in force since July 1999. -0-

Working...
X