YEREVAN. – It is considered that Armenia has begun its integration processes with the Customs Union on September 3, following the agreement which Armenian and Russian Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin had reached in Moscow.  

But the aforesaid is not quite true.

In reality, Armenia’s first step toward the Customs Union was taken on August 8, 2012, again in Moscow, and again during a meeting between the two presidents. On that day, they agreed to establish a working group to ascertain the chances for Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union. 

Subsequently, in an interview with the Russian Rossiya 24 television on December 21, Sargsyan spoke in more certainty in favor of joining the Customs Union.     

Next, Armenia signed the first formal document with the Customs Union on April 10, when Eurasian Economic Commission Chairman Viktor Khristenko had visited Armenia. This was a memorandum, and such memorandum is signed with Ukraine, too. In actual fact, Russia views such memoranda as the first step on the road to the Customs Union accession.

In parallel with the abovementioned, respective activities also became more active at the parliamentary level.        

And following all these processes, Armenia’s wish to join the Customs Union was announced on September 3, in Moscow.