The third President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan did not make the decision on the country’s accession to the EAEU overnight. This was stated by opposition MP, member of the Republican Party of Armenia Hayk Mamijanyan at traditional briefings in the National Assembly on January 23.
“No decision was made overnight, overnight. It was a balanced decision, about which all parties were informed,” the MP assured.
According to him, after Serzh Sargsyan announced in 2013 that Armenia was joining the Customs Union, which later became the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), many events took place that clearly demonstrated the relations between the then Armenian authorities, the RPA and the leaders of the European Union. “Negotiations with the European Union on the Association Agreement and with the then Customs Union were conducted simultaneously. Both parties were informed about the progress of the negotiation process. Our European partners informed us from the very beginning that there is no “either-or” choice and that these processes are not mutually exclusive. However, at some point, our European partners changed the rules of the game: the “both-and” approach was abandoned in favor of a strict “either-or” principle,” the oppositionist explained.
It was from that moment, as the RPA representative noted, that Armenia informed its European partners at the highest level through all possible channels that it has strategic cooperation and economic interests with the Customs Union. Moreover, the European side was directly informed of Armenia’s desire to join this economic union.
“We proposed signing a document containing only a political component, to which our European partners responded: “this is impossible.” And this is despite the fact that very soon after the above-mentioned events, a similar document was signed with Ukraine,” Mamijanyan added.