YEREVAN. – Armenia does not protect the interests of Nagorno-Karabakh within the Eurasian integration process. 
Opposition ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party National Assembly (NA) Faction Head Armen Rustamyan on Wednesday told the aforementioned to reporters at the NA. 

In his words, this is very strange, since Armenia for a long time actually represents Karabakh’s interests where official Stepanakert cannot represent itself. 

“Does Karabakh have interests in the Eurasian integration process? Of course it does. And who should protect them [i.e., these interests]? This is left unanswered.

“[During the Astana meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, Kazakhstan President Nursultan] Nazarbayev read [Azerbaijan President Ilham] Aliyev’s letter. And [, in turn,] we [Armenia] should have read NKR [Nagorno-Karabakh Republic] President Bako Sahakyan’s letter,” Rustamyan stated.  

He added that issues must be resolved with conceptual approaches, but no one prepares them. 

As per the ARF MP, Russia may complicate the solution to the Karabakh conflict, just as the Council of Europe (CoE) had done in the past.   

“It [the CoE] accepted both Armenia and Azerbaijan as member countries. [But] now, solely Armenia is in the Eurasian Union, and this could have been used in order to strengthen our negotiating positions; but it is not used,” Rustamyan said.   

He also did not rule out that, just like the European example, Russia may be discussing with Azerbaijan the matter of its membership in the Eurasian Union.

“At that time, the Armenia-Karabakh single economic space will be seriously hindered within the framework of the Eurasian Union,” Armen Rustamyan added.