Epress.am News from Armenia
The delay in Armenia joining the Eurasian Economic Union is due to discrepancies among the three founding countries of the Customs Union, which need to be addressed, said former foreign affairs minister, MP Alexander Arzoumanian (pictured) at a press conference in Yerevan earlier today.
Regarding domestic agreement on the document, Arzoumanian said it must be submitted to the National Assembly and deputies have to see whether they are ready to ratify such a document or not.
In the context of joining the Eurasian Economic Union, the MP spoke about relations with Azerbaijan and the Karabakh issue.
"All recent events show that they are trying to plunge Armenia and Azerbaijan into a war, but I don't think that Armenia is interested in the resumption of hostilities. We have no problems to resolve, but some forces and players are trying to involve [us] in a war, which can lead to very dangerous consequences. During the last 20–22 years, after signing the ceasefire agreement, Russia has constantly thought about introducing its peacekeeping forces into the region.
"Our experience of 200 years of relations with Russia has shown that at some point, in order to solve its geopolitical issues, it begins to treat us as one would a penny. I don't doubt that Russia is ready to discuss with a clear conscience the fate, the future of Karabakh in the context of Azerbaijan's accession to the Eurasian [Economic] Union. I wouldn't consider it immoral: Russia serves its interests, and no matter how paradoxical it sounds, it's not always that Armenian interests coincide with Russian interests. Our statehood is threatened, we're losing, and we will have to answer for this to future generations. We need to constantly talk about this," he said.