The Armenian government has still not shed light on possible dates for the signing of a treaty on Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, with a senior official only confirming its postponement on Monday.
Speaking at the Russian-led union’s most recent summit held in Astana on May 29, President Serzh Sarkisian asked the three member states to ensure that the treaty is signed by June 15. They promised only that the text will be drafted by July 1. The authorities in Yerevan have been light-lipped about the drafting process so far.
“All I know is that the signing of the treaty was planned for June,” Deputy Economy Minister Garnik Badalian told reporters during a Russian-Armenian workshop on the bloc’s trade-related regulations which will have to be adopted by Armenia.
Asked when Yerevan’s accession treaty will be signed, Badalian said, “I’m not involved in the negotiations. But one thing is clear: we have a lot of work to do on technical procedures and rules that will apply to us from January 1, 2015.”
The ongoing membership talks with the union were coordinated until this month by another deputy economy minister, Karine Minasian. She was relieved of her duties just days after the Astana summit.
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev stated at the summit that the accession treaty requested by Sarkisian must make a special reference to Armenia’s internationally recognized borders, which do not encompass Nagorno-Karabakh. Sarkisian rejected that demand on his return to Yerevan.
Speaking at the Russian-led union’s most recent summit held in Astana on May 29, President Serzh Sarkisian asked the three member states to ensure that the treaty is signed by June 15. They promised only that the text will be drafted by July 1. The authorities in Yerevan have been light-lipped about the drafting process so far.
“All I know is that the signing of the treaty was planned for June,” Deputy Economy Minister Garnik Badalian told reporters during a Russian-Armenian workshop on the bloc’s trade-related regulations which will have to be adopted by Armenia.
Asked when Yerevan’s accession treaty will be signed, Badalian said, “I’m not involved in the negotiations. But one thing is clear: we have a lot of work to do on technical procedures and rules that will apply to us from January 1, 2015.”
The ongoing membership talks with the union were coordinated until this month by another deputy economy minister, Karine Minasian. She was relieved of her duties just days after the Astana summit.
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev stated at the summit that the accession treaty requested by Sarkisian must make a special reference to Armenia’s internationally recognized borders, which do not encompass Nagorno-Karabakh. Sarkisian rejected that demand on his return to Yerevan.