Heading on to Shanghai through Customs Union

In a session following parliamentary sitting yesterday Alexander Arzumanyan, former foreign minister, said that the society has not been able to get along with the news concerning joining Customs Union, we see some new integration. PM Tigran Sargsyan said during his trip to China that Armenia is anticipating to get a status of an observer at Shanghai Cooperation Organization. According to Arzumanyan, this organization is fighting against terrorism, extremism and separatism, and its four member countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgizstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – are viewing Karabakh as a separatist enclave. In answer to the former minister’s question the incumbent foreign minister, Edward Nalbandyan, said that the mentioned organization had not brought up any decisions against Armenia, and Azerbaijan has also applied to have an observer’s status. The former foreign minister also asked to explain how could the government bring a bill on association agreement with Europe to the parliament and in a short while take steps toward joining Customs Union. Arzumanyan suggested that the government had to either develop a new bill for the parliament’s consideration or would have to resign.