SOLUTIONS AND CHALLENGES ON ARMENIA’S PATH TOWARDS EURASIAN INTEGRATION
17:17 * 16.12.14
The Kazakh president’s statement expressing his unwillingness to sign
Armenia’s Eurasian Union treaty might have been an attempt to gain
dividends from Russia, a political analyst has said, considering the
move untimely.
“The question has been resolved from the political point of view. That
statement by [Nursultan] Nazarbaev was aimed to soothe Armenia’s
concerns, so he used the occasion to say that Kazakhstan sees no
problem about ratifying the treaty,” Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan told
Tert.am.
Asked whether he thinks that Russia might have exercised any pressure,
the expert ruled out such a possibility. “I don’t think it had to
do with that, because all the pressures, if any, had a much longer
history,” he said, considering Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s
recent visit to Astana an attempt to smooth out the unsettled problems
with Belarus and Kazakhstan.
As for Kazkhstan’s former approaches to Armenia’s membership, the
expert said he finds that all the wrinkled points and controversies
have been already resolved. “I think that all the possible complaints
and reservations have been now overcome and are no longer a factor.
Kazakhstan’s problem was for maintaining its world leader’s positions.
So it has no real reasons not to involve Armenia [in the EEU],”
he said.
Political scientist Ruben Mehrabyan does not think that President
Nursultan Nazarbayev’s statement on Kazakhstan’s signing the treaty
was under Russian pressure.
“It is part of the bargain. Kazakhstan is pursuing its interests to
prevent Russia from imposing its will on Kazakhstan, using Armenia as
a means. Therefore, at the last moment it does or does not something.”
The problem is not Armenia-Kazakhstan relations. Rather, in the
context of Russian-Kazakh relations is it a tactical issue. Secondly,
the moment the EEU will sign its own “death warrant.”
“This is a much larger-scale game, with each actor having its own
perception. However, Armenia’s case is different because Armenia is
not an actor, but an insignificant figure, with actors to decide how
to deal with it,” Mr Mehabyan said.
Irrespective of whether Kazakhstan will sign the Armenia EEU accession
treaty, the EEU is not a viable structure.
“Of importance is what is actually going on. And we see that the
Customs Union does not at all exist. For example, Belarus has imposed
a ban on a number of Russian products until Russia solves the customs
control problem.”
“Everything proves the unsound mind of the architect of the Eurasian
Economic Union, who suggested the idea of involving Armenia in it,
as well as the unsound mind of the parties involved. It has no sense,
especially for Armenia, because we have no common border with them,”
Mr Mehrabyan said.
Economically, Russia will inevitably cause a shock to Armenia.
“The problem of the Russian rouble and oil price means a problem of
Russian statehood,” he concluded.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
