YEREVAN. – Haykakan Zhamanak daily has learned that the Customs Union (CU) negotiations, with respect to not changing the working rates of the customs duties of the goods being imported to Armenia, are not progressing that well.     

“Armenia is negotiating around the [maintaining of the lower] rates of 400 products [once it becomes a CU member].  

“Our sources inform that even if the CU agrees to Armenia’s proposal, something like a customs border will be set up between Armenia and CU, and the products exported from Armenia to the CU countries will be strictly inspected so that our [Armenian] businessmen will be unable to import products from third countries to CU as Armenian-origin goods,” Haykakan Zhamanak wrote.  

Following the talks that were held on September 3, 2013 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. In December 2013, the “roadmap” for Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union was adopted. And in January of this year, the Government of Armenia approved the action plan for the implementation of this “roadmap.” The formal joining is expected in May. Aside from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan likewise are members in the Customs Union.