Anna Nazaryan
“Radiolur”
Armenia has achieved success in the European integration process in the passing year. The EU-Armenia visa facilitation Agreement was signed, the Association Agreement is expected to be inked before the Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2013. The negotiations on the creation of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area are also an evidence of rapidly developing relations between Armenia and the European Union.
According to Karen Bekaryan, President of the European Integration NGO, this progress is connected not only with the foreign issues, the domestic political situation in Armenia is also of great importance. In particular, he hailed the past parliamentary elections.
European integration remains a priority for Armenia, and all talks about joining the Eurasian Union are senseless, President of the European Integration NGO Karen Bekaryan told a press conference today. He advised not to search for controversies between the Customs Union and the EU’s Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. It’s better to use all opportunities, he said.
“It should be taken into consideration that Armenia has no shared border with the Customs Union,” Bekaryan said, adding that it would be interesting to know how the Union could help Armenia. The support may be provided on issues of commissioning of the Abkhazian Railway, the Armenia-Iran railway and opening of the shared border with Turkey, the analyst suggested. “Otherwise, Armenia can join the Customs Union with reservations, which will not harm the agreement on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area,” he said.
