YEREVAN. – Signing of the memorandum on Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union has become a serious challenge for the sovereignty of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh [i.e., Nagorno-Karabakh].  

Zaruhi Postanjyan, opposition Heritage Party National Assembly (NA) Faction Secretary and member of Armenia’s NA delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), stated the aforesaid. 

“At this point, the anti-Armenian plan is implemented with active engagement by [Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan.

“Signing of the memorandum on [Armenia’s] accession to the Customs Union—instead of signing the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area agreement with the European Union—has become a serious challenge for the sovereignty of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh [i.e., Nagorno-Karabakh].    

“The acceptance of the customs tax rates of this union [i.e., the Customs Union] threatens our country with substantial price hikes, further deterioration of the social condition of the population, and further increase in the rate of emigration,” Postanjyan specifically stated.

To note, following the talks that were held on September 3 in Moscow between Armenian and Russian Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin, Sargsyan had announced that Armenia plans to join the Customs Union and subsequently engage in the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union. Aside from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan likewise are members in the Customs Union. And in response to this development, the European Union (EU) had stated that the signing of the Armenia-EU Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area agreement is now doubtful.