Armenia should become co-founder of Eurasian Economic Union

YEREVAN, April 17. / ARKA /. Armenia should become a co-founder of the Eurasian Economic Union, according to Vladimir Lepekhin, head of the Institute of the Eurasian Economic Community. "If technical problems arise during the process , I think that the leaders of the countries (current members of the Customs Union) will be ready to meet Armenia halfway, and if part of the documents appear not to be prepared, they could even postpone the deadline for Armenia’s formal accession from May to June,’ he said in an interview with Novosti-Armenia news agency in response to a question whether Armenia would have time to complete by May all the preparations for joining the Customs Union , in particular, to harmonize its legislation. "Unresolved technical issues should not preclude Armenia’s becoming a co-founder of the Eurasian Economic Union.. So I think everything will be fine," he added. Today Armenia’s acting economy minister Vahram Avanesyan said that Armenia would sign an agreement to formally join the Customs Union on April 29. Armenia’s president Serzh Sargsyan announced the decision to make the country a member of the Customs Union on September 3 following the talks with Putin in Moscow. Armenia’s Customs Union accession roadmap was unveiled in December last year. The document lays out 262 steps that must be taken for accession. The government in Yerevan wants to continue levying the current import duties on around 900 types of goods, which are significantly lower than the duties applied by the Customs Union. -0-