ASTANA, Kazakhstan (RFE/RL)—Armenia is likely to complete its accession to the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in October, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov said on Wednesday.
“The signing of the corresponding treaties will most probably take place in Minsk in October at a regular meeting of the EEU heads of state,” Idrissov wrote on Twitter.
A senior Armenian official said on Tuesday that the EEU’s executive body has already drafted the accession treaty with Armenia and sent it to the bloc’s three member states — Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan — for approval. But he declined to clarify when it could be signed.
Representatives of President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) were also unwilling to speculate about possible dates for Armenia’s membership in the EEU. The Sarkisian administration had hoped to complete the accession process in May. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope on Tuesday that this will happen “in the very near future.”
The delay is fuelling growing speculation in Yerevan that Belarus, Kazakhstan and even Russian are not keen to see Armenia join their alliance. Armen Martirosian, a leader of the opposition Zharangutyun party, claimed on Wednesday that Russia is dragging its feet now because it hopes to lure Azerbaijan into the EEU with promises of significant Armenian concessions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said Moscow is ready to cut a deal with Baku “at the expense of Armenia’s interests.”
Alexander Arzumanian, another opposition politician strongly opposed to EEU membership, suggested that the Armenian government simply does not know when it will join the bloc. “I too hope,” he said, commenting on Putin’s statement. “I hope that Armenia will not join the Eurasian Union.”
October or whenever, why don’t they disclose the status of Karabakh in relation to Armenia? All this noise about drafting the accession treaty but no information on its details.
Mr. Arzumanian is correct when he says Russia is trying to lure in Azerbaijan with significant Armenian concessions in the Karabakh conflict. Mother Russia can and will throw us under the bus to gain Azerbaijan. Mr. Putin is hell bent on punishing the west for his defeat in the Ukraine. To complete Russia’s hegemony in the southern Caucasus, he will have to win over Azerbaijan by handing over Karabakh to them on a silver platter.
man just quit your bs. you know nothing about the reality. youre just trying to cause panic
no one can or will hand any land over without massive warfare. which is something no one is interested in. there are too many players in Armenia for putin or anyone else to hand over land without major repercussions.
ARMENIA SOULD TRUST ITS OWN PEOPLE AND CORRECT NATIONAL INTEREST ORIENTED POLICIES RATHER TO RELIY ON PUTINS OR THE DING DONG NAZARBIEV,OR CRAZY LUKOSHENKO. ARMENIAN LEADERSHIP MUST WAKE UP AND STOP BE SLAVE TO OTHER COUNTRIES INTIMIDATIONS AND UNFRIENDLY ATTITUDE.
Let’s not conveniently forget to leave out precious EU/US in your blanket statement, or is it okay to be intimidated by the EU/US but not Russia?
Hratch, Armenian, and you have great allegations on paper, but unfortunately we are a landlocked country with 2 unfriendly borders, the other 2 neighbors are not deeply concerned about us either. You, Armenian, and Hratch should go fight with boots on the ground help establish a land corridor to the sea and then we can stop our “reliance” as you say it. Until that happens, sadly we are in a vulnerable position geostrategically and need to maneuver waters filled with bloodthirsty Turks and an angry Bear and a whole bunch of scaly US reptiles with their EU fleas.
Now continue with your emotional rhetoric.
Why waiting till October, the sooner the better.
God bless Mother Russia. God bless our Hayrenik. And may God help us Armenians preserve and protect our centuries old alliance with the Russian nation from all enemies both foreign and domestic.