Nagorno-Karabakh had no bid to join Eurasian Union

11:49 * 20.12.14

Nagorno-Karabakh’s exclusion from Eurasian integration processes
should not come as a surprise, as there was initially no agreement
about the country’s membership, according to an official.

David Babayan, a spokesperson for Nagorno-Karabakh president, says the
country submitted no bid for joining the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)
with Armenia and neither had its legal status issue clarified to make
such a deal possible.

“There’s nothing strange about it. We have not yet achieved a state
recognition by either Kazakhstan or Belarus, so we have absolutely
nothing to worry about,” he told Tert.am, commenting on the
ratification of Armenia’s EEU treaty by Kazakhstan and Belarus.

The two countries legislatives authorities, which approved the deal
earlier this week, stated in their decisions that Karabakh would not
integrate into the EEU after Armenia’s membership.

Babayan said he doesn’t find that the move hints a scenario of
isolation or blockade for the country. “We do not have to politicize
everything. We cannot simply be a member of that union, as we have not
submitted a bid. Also, we have recognition-related problems,” he
noted.

“Armenia has for over eight years been a member of the World Trade
Organization, and there was no problem about that. So is there any
reason to artificially complicate the situation here, provoking
debates and speculations? There will simply be no changes at all.”.

Commenting on the recent developments, political analyst Levon
Shirinyan said he thinks the processes will develop as agreed.

“The president did say that Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is part of our
republic … so the treaty was ratified based on the preliminary
agreement,” he noted.

Asked whether he sees any hazards, Shirinyan admitted to having
concerns. “When, sometime in the future, Kazakhstan and Belarus
improve their relationship with Azerbaijan, they may come to treat the
Artsakh issue as a playing card. To prevent this from posing a
permanent threat to us, Armenia has to first of all build its
relations with Russia in the integration process. Russia appears to be
the main channel of our relationship. And the important thing is to
strengthen Armenia. So our main relationship is with the strategic
ally, and that should be built on an equal footing as partners, not as
a master and servant. Our objective should be raising Armenia’s role,”
the expert added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress