EEU is a Completed Union for Russia as well: Georgian Diplomat
“Armenia may fill the gap of EEU by deepening its relations with the EU” Irakli Menagarishvili, former Georgian Foreign Minister, told 168.am reflecting to the decision of Armenian authorities to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) three years ago.
Reflecting to Armenia’s decision and criticism, Irakli Menagarishvili stated that, to all probabilities, Armenia couldn’t refuse Moscow’s coercion , as Armenia’s foreign policy issue and Moscow’s influence on it has diminished the borders of maneuvering. The diplomat said that Russia has developed the EEU as a counterbalance to the EU.
According to the Georgian diplomat EEU should have become a powerful and economic unit, a factor in geopolitical relations.
However, according to Menagarishvili, formation of EEU discredited Russia, as it coincided with the period of imposing Western sanctions against Russia, when Russia’s strategic ally Kazakhstan and Belarus withdrew from their initial readiness to establish ties with Russia through EEU, and started to violate those economic regulations. Irakli Menagarishvili reminded how deep discordances generated between Belarus and Russia, Kazakhstan and Russia from last January, moreover, sanctions have been imposed on import of goods from Russia.
“After all these Nazarbayev and Lukashenko publicly hint Putin that EEU may exclusively be an economic union, as political ties with Putin, and in particular, the perspective, that EEU should have become a supranational organization after the Ukrainian conflict, threatened Nazarbayev and Lukashenko. After these processes Putin understood that it’s impossible to create the powerful union imagined by him, particularly, in case of necessity of required serious investments, when Russia doesn’t have those possibilities, thus, he also lost interest towards that union, putting aside aspirations relating to EEU,” Menagarishvili said.
Regarding expectations from the Union, for which Armenia forcedly joined EEU, cancelling works around the Association Agreement. According to Menagarishvili, official data of trade turnover of EEU member countries shouldn’t even be observed, what benefits that Union has provided since its establishment, as such lack.
“That union has been established to settle political issues, they have been refused by Putin’s partners, it became an artificial organization, speedy withdrawal from which will be regarded as defeat by Putin. It should be stated that Putin has non-officially refused that union. Armenia should also refuse observing possible benefits of that union and think of filling that gap towards the direction of European integration, and Armenia has that potential, as it was the leader of negotiations on Association Agreement.
I consider, signing of future agreement won’t be targeted by Moscow, as basically, there are no responsibilities in EEU. However, Moscow realizes within which borders Armenia may cooperate with the EU, and currently doesn’t violate borders acceptable for Moscow, thus, I think further agreement will be signed, as it was stated, by the end of ongoing year,” the Georgian diplomat said.
By Araks Martirosyan
