In an interview with the Ukrainian weekly “Mirror of the Week” newspaper published on 18 July, RSC Senior Analyst David Shahnazaryan was cited for his critical analysis of the outlook for the Russian-led Eurasian Union project. According to Shahnazaryan, it is now increasingly unlikely that Armenia may join the Customs Union/ Eurasian Economic Union in the current year. Further, he argued that actually “it is very likely that Armenia will return to the Association Agreement with the EU.”
.Shahnazaryan noted that “when, in September last year under pressure from Vladimir Putin, Armenian President Sargsyan decided not to sign with the European Union Association Agreement and free trade zone, and instead vowed to join the Customs Union, that steep turn caused a shock in Armenian society.” He went on to say that the “decision was taken literally overnight” and meant that “President Sargsyan contradicted the entire policy pursued by Armenia in recent decades. And economically, according to Armenian experts, it unjustifiable, especially as the country has no border with the other members.”
He added that, “in Armenia there is no reason - no economic, political or military - to go into the Eurasian Economic Community and the Customs Union,” and stressed that this view is shared by many in Armenia.
The Ukrainian article, written by Vladimir Kravchenko, also noted that for Armenia, the “ascension to the Customs Union in general cannot take place. Putin, then reached his goal - to prevent the signing between Yerevan and Brussels Association Agreement and free trade zone.” Kravchenko went on to add that Moscow was “now playing on the feud between Yerevan and Baku, trying to strengthen the Russian presence in the South Caucasus.”
Full interview (in Russian): http://gazeta.zn.ua/international/tamozhennyy-roman-_.html