EURASIAN UNION V EU TIES?: EUAG LEADER SAYS CONTRADICTION POSSIBLE AT SOME POINT
News | 19.12.12 | 11:14
Photo:
EUAG Team Leader Willem van der Geest
EU Advisory Group (EUAG) to the Republic of Armenia Team Leader Willem
van der Geest said on Tuesday that Armenia~Rs membership in the
[emerging Russia-led] Eurasian Union may contradict the policy of
having closer relations with the European Union.
Talking to journalists, the expert particularly pointed out the trade
sector and the talks on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade
Agreement (DCFTA) between Armenia and the EU.
Mediamax quoted Van der Geest as saying that a moment may come when
Armenia will have to make a clear choice ~V whether to become a member
of the Eurasian Union or to continue talks with the European Union.
The EUAG Team leader~Rs remarks came as Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan left for Moscow to attend a gathering of Collective Security
Treaty Organization member states and hold a separate meeting with
Russian President Vladimir Putin, an advocate of the reintegration
process in the former Soviet space.
Earlier, Armenia reported progress in its talks with the European
Union over an association agreement and it was announced that DCFTA
could be signed as early as November 2013.
Visiting Brussels on Monday, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Edward Nalbandian signed an agreement with European Union officials
that would make it easier for Armenian travelers to obtain short-stay
entry visas to EU-member countries.