ARMENIA’S MEMBERSHIP IN CUSTOMS UNION WILL TAKE THE COUNTRY TO DEADLOCK – EXPERT
YEREVAN, October 23. / ARKA /. Armenia’s membership in the Customs
Union will take the country to a deadlock, according to Ashot
Yeghiazaryan, an associate economics professor at the State Economic
University of Armenia.
Speaking to reporters he said the Customs Union membership will make
Armenia’s economy ‘static’ and unable to advance, while integration
with the European Union will open new and broad prospects that could
boost the country’s development.
He said after a certain growth that did not translate into economic
rise the Armenian economy has been static in recent years. He said
also that growth was highly dependent on external factors – like
money remittances and foreign investment, while the domestic growth
has been contingent on the mining and agricultural sectors.
According to him, now there is uncertainty and emptiness regarding
Armenia’s future. Nothing is being done to diversify its economy.
“It’s hard to say what will fill this emptiness, but one thing is
clear. Before the announcement that Armenia will join the Customs Union
there were hopes that integration with EU would give some dynamism to
the economy due to emergence of new domestic sources and favorable
external atmosphere,’ he said, adding that Armenia has opted for
dependable development that has no perspective.
According to him, the current uncertainty makes it difficult to make an
economic outlook, while “the government plans its actions by inertia,
without having a specific policy.”
“Armenia can not maneuver between the Customs Union and the EU as
these two structures are incompatible. I think that Armenia will
return back to the track of European integration,’ he said. -0-
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