The Benefits to Armenia as Custom-Union member

[hagopn]

EU: "What about immigration? We here at EU believe that every member country has to have its share of Somalis. We think your country should allow the immigration of 40,000 Somali, 30,000 Haitians, 20,000 Nigerians, and 2 Armenians, but make sure you drag the ARmenians through your immigration systems and legal systems for at last 10 years prior to offering them the first work permit, OK. While you do that, make sure the Somalis especially get subsidized housing, expedient immigration status follow-up, free medical, free schooling, and the ability to roam the streets even upon acculumation of a criminal record. These are our conditions!"

 

Petitioning Country Rep: "We can barely feed our own populations, and our statehood depends on its homogeneity, as it has for centuries!"

 

EU: "Nationalism is something we do not accept nor condone. We are of the Kalergi persuasion, enlightened assimilationists! You must adjust your national policies accordingly!"

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Gagik Mianasyan: Nagorno Karabakh will also be part of Customs Union
17:20 14
by Hasmik Dilanyan
Public Radio of Armenia

“The Customs Union is overwhelmingly an economic structure, but today’s circumstances allow us to insist that it has a political component, as well,” Gagik Minasyan, head of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs, told reporters today. He explained that it is connected with the Nagorno Karabakh.

“The Nagorno Karabakh Republic and the Republic of Armenia are states with an extremely high level of integration,” Minasyan said, adding that it’s crucial to decide the issue of Nagorno Karabakh in case Armenia joins the Customs Union.

Gagik Minasyan recalled the Armenian President’s statement that there could never be a customs border between Armenia and Karabakh. He drew attention to an important event that took place at the end of 2013. On December 22 Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified two international agreements, eliminating all customs duties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In fact, the territories of these two unrecognized states were recognized by Belarus and Kazakhstan as areas of the Customs Union, Minasyan said. According to him, this is an important precedent for Nagorno Karabakh.

“The heads of state, who previously stood against Nagorno Karabakh’s accession to the Customs Union, have actually got used to the idea. That means, when Armenia joins the Customs Union, NKR will automatically become part of the CU, although unrecognized by Kazakhstan and Belarus, as it was the case with Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” Minasyan said.

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Inclusion of Abkhazia and South Ossetia into customs union is important precedent for Nagorno-Karabakh – Armenian lawmaker
Feb. 2. 2014

YEREVAN, February 14. / ARKA /. Russian president Vladimir Putin’s decision to treat unrecognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as subjects of the Customs Union is an important precedent for Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Gagik Minasyan, head of an Armenian parliament committee on finance and budget issues from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, told a news conference today.

As previously reported by Russian news agency RIA Novosti, on December 22, Putin signed laws on ratification of trade agreements with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

According to Minasyan, these laws in fact have removed all customs barriers between the Russian Federation and the two breakaway Georgian provinces and the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, not recognized by two other members of the Customs Union- Kazakhstan and Belarus as independent republics- have become the territory of the Customs Union.

Minasyan said that this fact has become an important precedent for Armenia in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

Speaking at a Customs Union summit late last year that approved a ‘roadmap’ for Armenia’s accession to the trade bloc Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed reservations about Armenian membership because of the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The question of the Custom Union’s border, where it will pass in Armenia, remains open. Therefore, we will sign the roadmap with the colleagues but with a special opinion that will be reported to the Armenian side,” Nazarbayev said at a meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Belarus’ Aleksandr Lukashenko in reference to Armenia’s border with the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the absence of any Armenian customs posts there.

According to Minasyan, Nazarbayev’s reservations applied similarly to Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
He said after Armenia joins the Russia-led trade union Nagorno-Karabakh will also be part of it, even being not recognized by Belarus and Kazakhstan, as is the case with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
This, according to him, will mean an economic recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Minasyan said also that Armenian leaders have repeated that Armenia will not tax goods coming from Karabakh even after joining the trade bloc.

- See more at: http://arka.am/en/news/economy/inclusion_of_abkhazia_and_south_ossetia_into_customs_union_is_important_precedent_for_nagorno_karaba/#sthash.pADfV1jm.2M8iPMGM.dpuf

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EU Association suggests goods, capital and services without the right to free movement. No such restrictions in case of the Customs Union

The expected economic affects of Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union
17.Feb.2014
Hasmik Dilanyan
Public Radio of Armenia

Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union (CU) and the Single Economic Space (SES) will have a positive effect on its economy. This conclusion was suggested in a recent report entitled “Armenia and the Customs Union: Assessing the Economic Effect of Integration” published by Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Center for Integration Studies. Economist Ashot Tavadyan, who headed the research group, met with reporters today to present the expectations from Armenia’s membership in the Customs Union.

He said it is the best choice for Armenia now as it provides conditions for the growth of the GDP and improvement of the trade balance.

According to him, Armenia will enjoy all the possibilities offered by the Customs Union, particularly with regard to direct investments in its infrastructure and production, a decrease in energy prices, as well as a better environment for Armenian labor migrants, which altogether could secure a 4 % additional GDP growth.

Tavadyan said about $0.5 million will be invested in the North-South railway project, another $200 million will be spent on the roads.

Regarding Armenia’s relations with the EU, he said “Europe suggests goods, capital and services without the right to free movement.” “There are no such restrictions in case of the Customs Union,” the economist added.