The Customs Union countries make decisions by way of compromise and, by being more active, Armenia can achieved more things, than Russia itself, in the union. 

Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) Institute Director Vladimir Lepyokhin noted the aforesaid during a press conference on Friday. 

“Much is said that [those countries] in the EU [i.e., the European Union] are more civilized. On the one hand, the legal systems are more developed there, but we need to consider the prevailing values, the rights of sexual minorities, [and] the gender issues in Europe. It is necessary to decide on the system of values which you want to institute in your country,” Lepekhin noted.     

To the query as to whether or not Armenia can one day join the EU Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, Lepyokhin responded that official Yerevan can always do that, since the consumption of its products in any market is important for Europe.   

“The objective of the EU and the motives of European democracy are to tear post-Soviet countries apart. [But] in reality, Europe itself is not free. It just wants to expand its market because it is gradually narrowing,” Vladimir Lepyokhin concluded.     

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.