World press on the Armenian-Russian relations and the Eurasian Economic Union (December 10, 2014)Russia’s lower house of Parliament voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a treaty allowing Armenia to join the Eurasian Economic Union. "Armenia Wins Backing to Join Trade Bloc Championed by Putin" reads the title of the article by David Hershenzon published by the New York Times.Describing the Eurasian Economic Union the article says: "Tensions have emerged in recent months, however, as Russia has come under economic pressure as a result of sanctions imposed by the West over the Kremlin’s intervention in Ukraine. Russia’s mounting economic worries, including a steep decline in the ruble and a simultaneous slide in global oil prices, have weighed on its closest trading partners, particularly Belarus". "Armenia, like Ukraine, had been working toward closer political and economic relations with the European Union, including steps toward a new free-trade accord. That all changed abruptly in September 2013 as Russia stepped up efforts to thwart a European Union program aimed at strengthening ties with former Soviet republics. After a meeting in Moscow that September with Mr. Putin, the Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan, announced that he was abandoning the European talks and that his country would join Russia’s economic bloc instead", reads the article."His decision set off some protests in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, but the country ultimately had little choice as it is heavily dependent on Russia for economic and security assistance. The value to Armenia of joining the trade bloc has been questioned, in part because the country shares no common border with any of the other member countries. The European Union has been Armenia’s main trading partner. Its economy is severely hamstrung because borders with two of its neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan, are sealed as a result of longstanding conflicts, " writes the New York Times.
Russia’s lower house of Parliament voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a treaty allowing Armenia to join the Eurasian Economic Union. "Armenia Wins Backing to Join Trade Bloc Championed by Putin" reads the title of the article by David Hershenzon published by the New York Times.
Describing the Eurasian Economic Union the article says: "Tensions have emerged in recent months, however, as Russia has come under economic pressure as a result of sanctions imposed by the West over the Kremlin’s intervention in Ukraine. Russia’s mounting economic worries, including a steep decline in the ruble and a simultaneous slide in global oil prices, have weighed on its closest trading partners, particularly Belarus".
"Armenia, like Ukraine, had been working toward closer political and economic relations with the European Union, including steps toward a new free-trade accord. That all changed abruptly in September 2013 as Russia stepped up efforts to thwart a European Union program aimed at strengthening ties with former Soviet republics. After a meeting in Moscow that September with Mr. Putin, the Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan, announced that he was abandoning the European talks and that his country would join Russia’s economic bloc instead", reads the article.
"His decision set off some protests in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, but the country ultimately had little choice as it is heavily dependent on Russia for economic and security assistance. The value to Armenia of joining the trade bloc has been questioned, in part because the country shares no common border with any of the other member countries. The European Union has been Armenia’s main trading partner. Its economy is severely hamstrung because borders with two of its neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan, are sealed as a result of longstanding conflicts, " writes the New York Times.
