Jirair Libaridian Says If Armenia Did Not Join Customs Union It Woul

JIRAIR LIBARIDIAN SAYS IF ARMENIA DID NOT JOIN CUSTOMS UNION IT WOULD LOSE NAGORNO-KARABAKH

YEREVAN, March 26. / ARKA /. Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union
resulted from Russian threats that Armenia would lose Nagorno-Karabakh
if it signed an association agreement with EU, Jirair Libaridian,
a former chief adviser to the first post-Soviet president of Armenia
Levon Ter-Petrosian, said at a news conference in Yerevan today.

He said some former and present Russian government officials went
as far as to threaten that Russia’s security guarantees for Armenia
would be jeopardized as well.

“In my opinion, there is no other explanation to Armenia’s surprise
U-turn,” he said.

According to Libaridian, Armenia’s accession to the Russia-led Customs
Union is not a guarantee that Yerevan’s position will become stronger
in the Karabakh peace process.

“We have no guarantees that Karabakh would remain in the same status ,
if we join the Customs Union, but we know that if we do not, we can
lose it ,”- he said.-0-

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