Armenia’s leadership is leading country into abyss — Vasily Koltashov

Speaking with Alpha News, Russian political scientist Vasily Koltashov commented on the statement by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk that Armenia’s accession to the European Union will close the Eurasian Economic Union market to it.

“Apparently, Armenia’s accession to the EU will completely stop the trade process that is taking place between Russia and Armenia, and the Russian market will close for Armenia. Armenia will not be able to be a member of the EAEU, because these are two opposing unions. Armenia’s place on the Russian market will be taken by Georgia, Georgian products. The Armenian society has an illusory idea that it is possible to be smarter than everyone else. They believe it is possible to simultaneously join both unions, remain in the EAEU, and join the European Union, submitting to European standards and gaining a European market for allegedly unique Armenian products. But the fact is that Armenia will simply lose its current intermediate position when, remaining a member of the EAEU, it has the opportunity to bypass sanctions and trade quite profitably with the EU, thus supporting its own economy,” Koltashov said.

According to the expert, the EU will simply not accept Armenia but will make a lot of promises.

“Yanukovych also had such illusions that it is possible to have it both ways. Armenia differs from Ukraine in that Ukraine bordered the EU and Russia, and this, as we see, led to the war. Armenia has no borders with either the EU or Russia. Armenia is a state that must communicate either through the mediation of the Turks and Azerbaijan, who do not like Armenia, or through the mediation of Georgia, which, apparently, will not get closer to the European Union. The EU will simply not accept Armenia; the EU will promise to accept Armenia, there will be a negotiation process, but, as we know, it can last for many decades. As a result of this process, Armenia may indeed lose the Eurasian market and never get the European one,” Koltashov noted.

According to the political scientist, Pashinyan is leading Armenia into the abyss.

“Armenia’s leadership, in particular Pashinyan, is leading the country into the abyss. And it seems to me that going into the abyss is something that people in Armenia have already gotten used to, because the country was larger when Pashinyan first began to lead it, its prospects were more advantageous, the mechanisms of good relations with Russia that had been built before him were in place, and this provided the prospect of trade growth, which was happening. Now it is time to lose not only territories but also markets. This seems to be the economic strategy of the current leadership of the country,” Koltashov concluded.