Armenia has to choose which path it considers promising for itself – Konstantin Tasits

Speaking with Alpha News, political scientist and South Caucasus expert Konstantin Tasits commented on the current Armenian authorities’ desire to join the European Union and the associated consequences for the country.

“Pashinyan stated that his party’s program for the upcoming elections will focus on intensifying efforts and accelerating Armenia’s accession to the European Union, but as it’s formulated, this doesn’t seem realistic. Accession to the European Union presupposes the adoption of European standards and norms, which are very lengthy processes. We see in countries like Moldova and Georgia that it takes years, with an unclear future. In Georgia, this process was essentially frozen, since part of these European norms proposed by the EU involves a partial loss of sovereignty, and the Georgian leadership was unable to agree to this. But even in the case of Moldova and Ukraine, we see that there is no clear date for when these countries will be able to join the EU. And if we’re talking about current realities, not all experts agree. Armenia’s recent economic successes are largely tied to its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Armenia receives specific benefits in the form of free access to the Russian market, low gas prices, low prices for wheat, oil products, and other commodities. Therefore, if Armenia is willing to give up these benefits, it will likely lead to negative consequences for the socioeconomic situation and stability. And, I reiterate, this will be accompanied by very dim prospects for Armenia meeting the criteria for EU accession,” Tasits said.

According to the political scientist, Armenia’s participation in both European and Eurasian integration projects is mutually exclusive.

“Armenia’s simultaneous membership in two integration associations—the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union—is impossible, as they each have their own principles, standards, and norms. The EAEU and the EU share a common free trade area, which protects this space from foreign producers. Therefore, if Armenia somehow opens its market to European goods, it will jeopardize the markets of other Eurasian Economic Union countries. Therefore, combining these two principles is impossible. Armenia will have to choose which path it considers more promising,” the expert concluded.