Author: Aram Torosian

Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan argues that having alternative and diversified currency calculations in economic unions is effective, but at the same time difficult.

In an interview to MIR 24 TV, the Armenian deputy PM addressed the possibility of creating a single currency in the Eurasian Economic Union and prospects of achieving it.

Below is the question and answer during the interview:

Question: Now there is a tendency to refuse the dollar in mutual calculations in the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union. In your opinion, to what extent are the countries ready to fully transition to the Ruble, or for example the Tenge, in calculations.

Answer: You know, certainly having alternative and diversified currency calculations is very good and effective. It is a desired result for potential unions. It is also a rather difficult task which must be solved very delicately and in detail. This isn’t only a currency matter, it also relates to operational matters. This, after all, is a matter of symmetric support to the IT field. And this is a matter of harmonization of administrative, regulatory and other normative bases. This is possible theoretically, practically too, but this requires work. And, certainly, it is a difficult work. But it is real, if we study it. I believe that any economic union in different levels of activeness, including also the Eurasian Economic Union, will activate this work. This is obvious because even without any single currency zone the impacts which can be achieved from economic integration, unions, aren’t complete, if they work with the currency of another union or another country. In this sense I think, yes, this process is obvious, its actuality is obvious, and the process will proceed in a quite active manner. At least I think this way.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he attaches great importance to the necessity of involving a representative of the people of Artsakh in the NK conflict settlement negotiations. The Armenian PM also reiterated his readiness to be fully involved in the negotiations process.

The PM was speaking at the parliament session today in response to a question from Republican faction MP Tajat Vardapetyan.

Vardapetyan mentioned that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has commented on Pashinyan’s statement on making Artsakh a negotiations party, and said that the responsibility of obstructing the talks in this case falls on Armenia.

“Certainly, I have numerously expressed readiness to be fully involved in the negotiations process. I have said that I consider myself to be authorized to negotiate on behalf of Armenia, because I am the Prime Minister of Armenia, but I am not authorized to negotiate on behalf of Artsakh. The people of Artsakh do not participate in the government formation in Armenia, since they have their own government, president, which is capable of negotiating on behalf of Artsakh,” Pashinyan said.

“We very clearly put a simple question – are we negotiating simply for negotiations, or to solve the issue? If we are negotiating to solve the issue, how do we imagine the solution of the issue without the party of the conflict? If we are negotiating for negotiations, we are ready for this format also. However, as long as the necessity of involvement of a representative of the people of Artsakh hasn’t been recorded, it means that we haven’t gotten close to the settlement of the issue at all,” he said.

According to the PM, the belligerent atmosphere which is established as result of the destructive actions of the Azerbaijani leadership is obstructing the negotiations process the most. “I reaffirm my readiness to be fully involved in the negotiations process. There is no single case when it was proposed to negotiate and Armenia has refused,” he said.

The Azerbaijani troops violated the ceasefire regime nearly 200 times on Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line in the period of September 2-8, during which over 2000 bullets were fired in the direction of Armenian border guards from different caliber weapons.

As the press service of the Defense Ministry of Artsakh Informed, the front line units of the Defense Army refrained from retaliation and continue to confidently carry out their military duty.