President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan offered a practical explanation on the decision to join Eurasian Economic Union during his visit to The Washington Post.

“Armenian cognac can’t really be sold in Paris. But it does well in the Russian Federation,” he told in a conversation with Fred Hiatt. 

Thus, the president suggested it was a “pragmatic decision”, but added that Armenia pursues good relations with EU. President Sargsyan explained it would take 10-15 years to take advantage of a free trade agreement with EU, while “ people are not ready to suffer during this long term.”

The Armenian leader admitted that the country is suffering from the rift between Russia and the West which especially affect exports to Russia, Russian investment in Armenia and remittances from Russia. He added, “had we not acceded to the Eurasian Union, we would have faced more painful problems.”