– an echo of the Ukrainian crisis against the background of tangled relations between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.
In an interview with Tert.am, Head of the European Integration NGO Karen Bekaryan said that four of the six European Partnership member-states – Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine – have certain problems involving different conflicts. Besides, other two states, Belarus and Azerbaijan, signed Association Agreements with the EU, as well as Armenia, which has not yet full-fledged relations with the EU.
Political Secretary of the Heritage party Styopa Safaryan told Tert.am about another “tangle.” According to him, “it will be better seen after Armenia joins the Eurasian Economic Union.” That is, the Armenia-Georgia border will turn into a border between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.
Given the fact of Armenia becoming a border with the EU economic area, as well as Russia’s position on the European Partnership policy and on the Association Agreements between the EU and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, Mr Safaryan forecasts a number of pessimistic scenarios.
“First, we can expect Russians to use Armenia in its actions against them. Secondly, if it happens, Europe will have to block Armenia even worse by means of other states.”
However, this is not a problem of Georgia alone.
“Even if Georgia wants, the EU had warned of the impossibility customs free trade between the two economic areas because, if Armenia is allowed to, it will imply its joining the EU free economic zone,” Mr Safaryan said.
Political scientist Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan does not think the new situation in the region is the result of Association Agreements between the EU and Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Rather, it is the result of the Ukraine developments.
“By and large, the Eurasian Economic Union has waged a struggle for Ukraine, with neither Europe nor Russia being the winner. They have divided Ukraine and got such problems that huge economic resources are required to resolve them.”
“In any case, evidence thereof is Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s recent visit to Georgia, where the two countries’ leaders stated that being parts of two economic unions would not prevent the development of their trade relations. On the other hand, the Caucasus could be turned into a crossroads of interests of the EU and Eurasian Economic Union,” Mr Melik-Shahnazaryan said as he quoted Armenia’s president.
Source: tert.am