Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Eurasian Equation: Armenia Sees Karabakh As De-Facto Part Of Emergin

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

  • Eurasian Equation: Armenia Sees Karabakh As De-Facto Part Of Emergin

    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

Working...
X