Armenia thrashing out Customs Union membership issues: Russian ambassador

YEREVAN, February 11. /ARKA/. Armenia is working through all issues related to its accession to the Customs Union very quickly, Russia’s ambassador to Armenia Ivan Volinkin said.

It is being done in seven-league strides, the ambassador said in his interview to Armenian Public TV channel.

The ambassador said there are good specialists in Armenia who know well what legislation and other documents are needed and how thoroughly the issues should be studied. Volinkin noted he will be happy if this process is completed as soon as possible. 

The diplomat also said Armenia has not changed, but confirmed its foreign policy vector. Armenia has always aimed at cooperation with Russia and integration processes it leads, he said. 

Cooperation between the two countries has significantly increased after Armenia’s decision to join the Customs Union, Volinkin said.

According to the ambassador, the foreign policy vector should be reflected in economy as well. He said he believes the membership in the CU will give a renewed impetus to Armenia’s economic development. 

In the beginning, many experts said not having common borders with Russia will hinder integration, but further elaborations showed this can give certain advantages to Armenia, Volinkin said.

According to the ambassador, the economic component of Armenia’s membership in the CU is much weightier than the political one.

Armenia’s government has released the roadmap for accession to Russia-led Customs Union on February 3. The document includes 262 measures. –0—