YEREVAN. – 168 Zham daily spoke with Chairman Leonid Slutsky of the Russian State Duma’s Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration, and Relations with Compatriots.
“We asked whether Russia can guarantee that Armenia will not lose its sovereignty after joining the [Russia-led] CU [i.e., the Customs Union].
“As per Leonid Slutsky, it is not the CU, but rather the [EU] Association Agreement—which Armenia was preparing to initial in November in [Lithuanian capital city] Vilnius—that threatens the loss of sovereignty.
“He noted that his words about the positive sides of joining the Customs Union are a reality.
‘“The Customs Union does not threaten with a loss of statehood, a slight loss of sovereignty, [and] even with a microscopic scale loss of sovereignty.’
“Otherwise, the Russian MP is confident that the Armenian president would not have made such a decision,” 168 Zham writes.
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 had stated that the signing of the Armenia-EU Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area agreement is now doubtful.
