YEREVAN. – The project of Customs and Eurasian Unions at this stage is aimed primarily at restoring economic ties between the participating countries, says Russian political scientist Andrei Areshev.

Areshev is one of the participants of the meeting on peculiarities of economic integration of the South Caucasus held within the framework of international conference on security and cooperation in South Caucasus.

The political scientist said nowadays there is a certain trend towards implementing macroeconomic integration projects covering large regions.

“It is obvious that Russia, too, had to form its own integration project, and it is also clear that the project had to unite primarily those countries which were in the common cultural, civilization, economic and political space with Russia for centuries,” he said.

The need for economic integration is objective, and the project of Customs and Eurasian unions implies both advantages and certain challenges and risks, because if all countries agree, it is always to some extent a product of compromise.

“They lose something by winning something,” he emphasized. “Now there is a negotiation process on Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union. It is obvious that Armenia has special conditions that require a separate negotiation process with the core of Customs Union to neutralize the possible negative consequences of Eurasian integration, such as rise in prices on some commodity groups.”