Pashinyan warns against politicizing Eurasian integration

Emil Karabekian
Belarus – Dec 25 2023

ST PETERSBURG, 25 December (BelTA) – Given its basic economic principles he Eurasian Economic Union should not correlate with political ambitions, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in St. Petersburg on 25 December, BelTA has learned.

It is symbolic that Armenia will hold chairmanship in the EAEU in 2024 Nikol Pashinyan noted. Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the EAEU Treaty, which is based on the fundamental postulate that the EAEU is an economic association that should not have a political or even geopolitical agenda. This is how Armenia continues to perceive it and is developing economic cooperation "seeking to suppress all attempts to politicize the Eurasian integration."

"The EAEU and its economic principles should not correlate with political ambitions. Basic freedoms of trade and integration cannot and should not be restricted for political reasons. This will definitely corrode the fundamental principles of the union," Nikol Pashinyan stressed. In this regard, the Armenian prime minister welcomed the EAEU-Iran free trade agreement.

At the same time, he drew attention to the unresolved fundamental issues that have accumulated in the EAEU. According to him, there is a need to achieve fundamental decisions on the approaches, principles and mechanisms of the functioning of common energy markets in the EAEU. "In this context, we are ready to show a flexible approach to ensuring a balance of interests of the EAEU member states on the unresolved issues in order to harness the advantages and potential of the common energy markets in the EAEU," Nikol Pashinyan said. He also proposed to expand areas of cooperation in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Another fundamentally important issue, according to the prime minister, is the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. This area is of particular relevance and opens up new opportunities for more rapid collection and effective analysis of economic data. Responsible use of artificial intelligence capabilities can serve as an impetus for the development of economic cooperation in the EAEU.

"If we manage to ensure transport, transit and administrative seamlessness through modern technologies, we will get a unique opportunity for the development of relations between the EAEU and interested third countries," Nikol Pashinyan said.

Armenian leader travels to Russia despite tensions and promises economic bloc cooperation

Hunanian Jack
Dec 25 2023
Associated Press
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whose country’s relations with Russia grew tense this year, says that when Armenia takes the rotating chairmanship of a Moscow-dominated economic alliance he will try to suppress politics obstructing regional integration. Armenia is to become the chairman country of the Eurasian Economic Union in 2024. The bloc, established in 2014, includes Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and encourages the free movement of goods and services. Pashinyan in the past year has offended Russia by refusing to allow a Moscow-led security alliance to hold exercises in Armenia and by declining to attend an alliance summit. However, Pashiyan attended a meeting of the union’s Supreme Council in St. Petersburg on Monday.

https://www.voiceofalexandria.com/news/world/armenian-leader-travels-to-russia-despite-tensions-and-promises-economic-bloc-cooperation/article_7d3f9830-6e29-5651-8a90-c8e91549db97.html

Armenia Takes Charge: PM Pashinyan Vows to Curb Politics in Moscow-Led Alliance

Kalantarian Kevo
Dec 25 2023
 

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, despite tensions with Russia, pledges to suppress political interference in regional integration as Armenia prepares to chair the Moscow-dominated Eurasian Economic Union in 2024. 

By Sathish Raman
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whose country's relations with Russia have been strained this year, has pledged to suppress political interference that hinders regional integration when Armenia assumes the rotating chairmanship of a Moscow-led economic alliance.
Armenia to Chair Eurasian Economic Union in 2024 

Armenia is set to become the chair country of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in 2024. Established in 2014, the bloc comprises Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Armenia, and promotes the free movement of goods and services.
Pashinyan's Actions Strained Armenia-Russia Ties 

In the past year, Pashinyan has strained relations with Russia by denying permission for a Moscow-led security alliance to conduct exercises in Armenia and by declining to attend an alliance summit. Additionally, Armenia's accession to the Treaty of Rome, which established the International Criminal Court (ICC), further irked Russia. The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on charges of war crimes related to the deportation of children during the conflict with Ukraine.
Pashinyan Attends EEU Supreme Council Meeting 

Despite these tensions, Pashinyan attended a meeting of the EEU's Supreme Council in St. Petersburg on Monday. He emphasized that the union and its economic principles should not be intertwined with political ambitions and that Armenia is committed to preventing any attempts to politicize Eurasian integration.

Armenia's Dependence on Russia 

Armenia is heavily reliant on Russian trade and hosts a Russian military base. However, relations between the two countries deteriorated in the past year when a Russian peacekeeping force failed to reopen a crucial road connecting Armenia to the ethnic Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan gained full control of the region in a swift offensive in September.

Armenia’s economic activity index grows 9,4% in 11 months

Maghakian Mike

 12:34,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s economic activity index grew 9,4% in January-November of 2023 compared to the same period of 2022, according to official data published by the Statistical Committee.

Industrial production output grew 2,1% in the 11 months.  

Construction grew 15,6%.

Trade turnover grew 24,3%, while services grew 11,1%.

The consumer price index grew 2,2%, while the industrial product price index grew 1,7%.

Energy production dropped 4,3%.

Foreign trade turnover grew 42,4% (exports grew 44,7% and imports grew 41%).

Kidnapped Nagorno-Karabakh man appeals unlawful prison sentence in Azerbaijan

Emil Lazarian

 15:05,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Vagif Khachatryan, an elderly ethnic Armenian man from Nagorno-Karabakh who was kidnapped by Azeri border guards during his ICRC-mediated medical evacuation on July 29 and later sentenced to 15 years in prison in Azerbaijan on fabricated war crime charges, has appealed the verdict, Azerbaijani news media reported.

A preliminary hearing was held at a court of appeals in Baku on December 25.

The first court session is scheduled to take place on January 7, 2024.

Azeri authorities pressed fabricated charges against Khachatryan and jailed him in Baku.   

The Armenian foreign ministry earlier said that the arrest of the Red Cross-protected patient from Nagorno-Karabakh amounts to war crime.

Prominent lawyer Siranush Sahakyan said that the kidnapping constitutes extraordinary rendition in terms of international law and due process is therefore ruled out.

The kidnapped man’s daughter, in a plea to the UN to ensure the safe release of her father, said that all charges pressed by the Azeri prosecution are fabricated and her father is innocent.

Khachatryan’s testimony in court was even by an Azeri translator earlier in October.



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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrives in Russia

Emil Lazarian

 15:30,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Saint Petersburg, Russia on a two-day visit.

The Armenian PM will participate in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) summit on December 25, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) informal summit on December 26.




Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 25-12-23

Albert Nalbandian

 17:11,

YEREVAN, 25 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 25 December, USD exchange rate down by 0.29 drams to 405.33 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.32 drams to 446.59 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 4.41 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.37 drams to 515.50 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 19.04 drams to 26606.74 drams. Silver price up by 3.35 drams to 318.75 drams.

Eurasian Economic Union signs full-scale free trade agreement with Iran

Frangulian Shushan

 17:24,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. The countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have signed a full-scale free trade agreement with Iran, TASS news agency reports.

The signing took place as part of a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in St. Petersburg. At the ceremony, the document was signed by the Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Mikhail Myasnikovich, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk and Iran’s Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Abbas Ali-Abadi. The agreement was also signed by representatives of Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

"The agreement officially comes into force from the moment it is ratified by the member states. I think that their parliaments will not delay this process and will carry it out quickly enough," Myasnikovich told reporters after the ceremony. According to him, now the parties should carry out practical work on the formation of mechanisms for the implementation of both trade and investment provisions of the agreement.

"We made calculations: at the current level of development of relations, this will allow saving, first of all, on the payment of customs duties and payments, and here we obtain very serious amounts, which will be saved by both Russian business and Iranian business. Naturally, better opportunities will be created for entering each other’s markets," Overchuk noted. According to Abbass Ali-Abadi, the agreement creates the preconditions to develop not only trade between countries, but also tourism.

The temporary agreement on creation of a free trade zone between the EAEU and Iran was concluded on May 17, 2018 and came into force on October 27, 2019.