YEREVAN. – Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union has no direct link with Nagorno-Karabakh and the situation that has been created around it.    

Regional Studies Center Director, political analyst Richard Giragosian noted the aforementioned during a press conference on Tuesday. 

“Belarus and Kazakhstan are not too interested in seeing Armenia in the Customs Union. But one of Armenia’s businessmen, [Prosperous Armenia Party Chairman] Mr. [Gagik] Tsarukyan, will benefit from this because he has serious businesses with [Belarusian President] Alexander Lukashenko and his family,” Giragosian added. 

As per the political scientist, Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union has no connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

“But the threat comes from Baku. What will happen with Nagorno-Karabakh if Azerbaijan were to be prudent and join the Customs Union? This would be a real problem. Nagorno-Karabakh is not a direct player in this process,” the analyst argued.

He also stressed that Armenia will continue the close relations with Karabakh, and this was not under a threat.

“Theoretically, however, Russia could demand the establishment of a checkpoint on the Armenia-Karabakh border; this will mean that the NKR will become an external border of the Customs Union. [But] let’s hope that Russia does not propose such thing, whereas Azerbaijan would not be that smart to take the noted steps,” Richard Giragosian 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.