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Armenian and Russian presidents have agreed to establish an intergovernmental presidential council as well as assigned their administrations to develop necessary documents regulating the functioning of the council and present those for signing during the next meeting. This was stated by Serzh Sargsyan during the meeting with Vladimir Putin. During the meeting Putin said that Armenia will receive gas at the Russian price. He also stated that Russia will cancel its 35% customs fee for fuel imported to Armenia. According to Putin, the gas price will be reduced to 189 USD per 1000 cubic meter. When answering the question about NKR and possible start of the war Putin said, “We really wish that no Armenian or Azerbaijani soldiers dies.”

With the invite of the RA president Serzh Sargsyan yesterday Russian president Vladimir Putin arrived in Armenia. His plane landed in Gyumri airport.

No one knows what happened there because even the accredited state journalists were banned access. When the presidents were escorted to the building of a theater named after Vardan Atchemyan to participate in a conference organized in the framework of the creation of the Customs Union, the journalists were not even able to shoot the entrance of the presidents in the mentioned building because the entrance was closed by the police. After waiting in the building for a while we asked the police officers to let us go to get some food but the officers told us that there was no point because all the stores were closed. And this wasn’t the only discriminative demeanor to the journalists. Later it was found out that only a few media sources were invited to the joint press conference of the presidents. The journalists said that the press conference was out of the format and that is the reason why they weren’t invited. The rest of the visits and meetings of Putin were posted on the RA president’s website. Nonetheless, during the conference the speaking language was Russia and yesterday all the Armenian statesmen were speaking Russian. Nonetheless, a speech was made by Serzh Sargsyan, who adverted to the membership of the Customs Union.

“We stressed the importance of further coordination of activities on the international arena and close cooperation in all areas of interstate relations, including political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian, military and reiterated the unwavering nature of the Agreement on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance and Declaration on the Allied Interaction between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation for the 21st century. I have informed the President of the Russian Federation on Armenia’s purposeful steps aimed at the swift accession to the Customs Union and joining the Common Economic Area of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russian Federation.” The President of Russia reiterated readiness of the Russian side to provide necessary assistance in the process in accordance with our Joint Statement of September 3, 2013 and decision of the Eurasian Economic Supreme Council of October 24, 2013.

The Third Interregional Forum, whose opening we attended in Gyumri, is dedicated to that very topic. President Serzh Sargsyan once again welcomed the RF President V. Putin to Armenia and spoke with satisfaction about the dynamically developing Armenian-Russian relations. “Our meetings are of regular and frequent nature. Recently, we together participated at the CIS, Customs Union Summits. Before that, I believe, we had a productive meeting in Sochi, at the CSTO Council. Before that I visited Moscow where we talked about our common issues and our desire to join the Customs Union. I thank you for accepting our invitation and starting your state visit from Gyumri. It is our most colorful, most conservative town. I also thank you for your participation in the Interregional Forum, which we opened together. Your participation endowed the event with a special meaning. Sargsyan emphasized the open air policy adopted by Armenia, which opens large perspectives in the flight policies. He stated that currently there are daily 12 flights from Yerevan to Moscow. According to Sargsyan, Russia is a leading foreign trade partner of Armenia: its share in trade balance is 23.5%.

Last year trade turnover increased by more than 20% and reached $1.2 billion. The volume of Russian investments surpassed $3 billion – more than 40% of all foreign investments into Armenian economy. About 1300 Russian companies are working in gas, transport, telecommunication, financial spheres of Armenia – more than 25% of all joint enterprises with foreign investments. Russian president Putin also spoke about Armenia’s willingness to join the Customs Union. In his toast, the RF President V. Putin spoke with admiration and profound esteem about, in his words, the Armenian nation – a bearer of the ancient, deep-rooted European culture and Armenia, underscored Armenia’s noticeably significant contribution to the common state made decades ago, noting that all that was not accidental. Vladimir Putin noted that many objective reasons unite the Armenian and Russian peoples and two states. Stressing that bilateral relations developed on a strong basis of the past and spiritual closeness of the two friendly nations, the RF President spoke with confidence about the future of these relations.

“I am confident that the decision of the Armenian leadership to join the Customs Union and Eurasian economic area is rooted in the traditions which were established by our predecessors in past decades and centuries. It was a conscientious, weighted decision and it opens new opportunities for the development of our relations on a new basis. I have no doubt that they will be not less cordial and efficient than they were in the preceding decades and centuries. I would like to thank you for it,” the President of the Russian Federation said. Putin has made clear Moscow wants to increase its influence in the strategic region sandwiched between Russia, Turkey, Iran and the oil and gas deposits of the Caspian Sea basin. “We are going to strengthen our position in the South Caucasus, drawing on the best of what we have inherited from ancestors and good relations with all countries in the region,” Putin told a Russian-Armenian regional forum. “Participation in the Customs Union … already is bringing Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus tangible dividends.” Putin said that under an agreement signed Monday to regulate natural gas deliveries to Armenia, Moscow will forgo 30 percent export duties. Russia will supply Armenia gas at a price of $189 per 1,000 cubic meters, he said. Prior to that Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan also made a speech. He also spoke about the Russian-Armenian ties and the Customs Union. He adverted to Armenia’s motivation to join the Union. “This conference is of special relevance as it deals with an important topic – our country’s cooperation prospects – as seen from the perspective of the ongoing integration processes.

Our choice was triggered by Armenia’s willingness to join the Customs Union and, subsequently, the Eurasian Economic Union. Armenia’s decision to join the Customs Union was above all based on the undeniable fact that tackling challenges called for a collective effort. In particular, providing favorable conditions for sustainable economic growth and building a highly competitive economy is quite a difficult and sometimes even an unsolvable problem for countries with limited resources and a small market such as Armenia. It seems to be twice as complicated if we take into account the geopolitical situation in which we have to develop our country’s economy. Thus, the desire to ensure sustainable economic growth and competitiveness was at the core of our strategic decision to join the Customs Union. The search of implementation mechanisms and pathways brought us to a natural and reasonable conclusion about the need to get full membership in the Union, which incorporates our close political allies, the CSTO member- States and our main economic partners,” Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said. According to Tigran Sargsyan, economic cooperation with Russia is of top importance to Armenia. Being Armenia’s major trade partner and the largest investor, Russia is playing a decisive role in Armenia’s infrastructure-building effort. Russia has a stake in the development of the strategic sectors and backbone enterprises such as Nairit and the Armenian NPP.

Member of Board of Principal Areas of Integration and Macro-economy of Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Tatiana Valovaya stated that by joining the Customs Union, states “do not sacrifice their national sovereignty at all”. Valovaya stressed in her speech that the Eurasian Economic Commission will consider the roadmap of Armenia’s membership to Customs Union on December 5. “We consider Armenia’s will to join the Customs Union as the attractiveness of our project, as a signal of its quality. I am sure Armenia’s joining the Customs Union will give a new impetus to the project and make our union more dynamic and developing”, said the representative of the EEC. Valovaya noted that by joining the Customs Union, a state doesn’t lose its sovereignty. “Joining the Customs Union, states don’t sacrifice their national powers. Vice versa, states fully own their sovereignty on a collective basis. We will protect our shared interests”, said the EEC representative. According to her, considering Customs Union as a counterbalance to EU is a delusion. “From the very first day of establishment of the Customs Union, we have stated that Europe is our key partner. Countries’ participation in the Eurasian Economic Space doesn’t mean refusing cooperation with Europe”, stressed Valovaya. Valovaya also touched upon the myths around Customs Union. According to her, the first myth concerns the lack of common border between Armenia and Customs Union states. “The new regime of Armenia’s functioning within the Customs Union will maximum simplify the customs procedures. More favorable conditions will be created. The Armenian production will be in high demand in the Customs Union”, she noted.

By Tigranuhi Martirosyan