EU or EAEU? Choosing opportunities over preferences

The ongoing debate in Armenia—whether to choose the EU or the EAEU—should be evaluated based on practical opportunities “on the ground” rather than personal preferences or dreams. The criteria necessary for EU membership, even if we consider only economic aspects, are numerous, complex and diverse.

The problem is not that these criteria should not be aspired to but the simple fact that it may take decades. In the meantime, the flow of opportunities that the EAEU really provides should be preserved. The process initiated by the adoption of the bill on EU accession signals a sense of estrangement to EAEU partners. This narrows Armenia’s opportunities, which, in turn, could further reduce the likelihood of achieving the aforementioned standards. This fact defies any logic at all.

Let’s return to one of the many components: Armenia’s foreign trade turnover. This indicator has seen a rather significant decline in January-February this year. Regardless of the reasons behind this decline, the fact remains that the largest portion of trade turnover is with the EAEU countries, mainly with Russia. Due to both objective and subjective reasons, a significant part of the foreign currency outflow into Armenia comes through foreign trade, so if we have problems in this direction, we will significantly lose the inflow of foreign currency.
Of course, this issue also has a social component related to those employed in this sector.

These facts represent just one of the many benefits the EAEU offers to Armenia today and what we will lose if we abandon it.