Eurasian Customs Union

[Hakob]

Re: Eurasian Customs Union

In the above posts & articles about Hayastan joining the Eurasian economic union, I find many positive and hopeful things.
The "security guarantee" for Artsahk, is the most relieving (for me).
Haven't seen the exact terms, or even general terms spelled out.
Does anyone know these terms, or will they be announced at some future date when the formal act of joining takes place?

I don't think that we will see all the terms and clauses fully in one format together. There are many reasons for that.
1) All the governments involved have strong fundamental oppositions (Not like in US or western europe where oppsitions are acting more as competitors, but as forces out to destroy ruling parties and are sometimes funded and supported by foreign countries), therefore closing down negotiations in order not to feed opposing propaganda, who's main goal is to foster negative public opinion as much as possible. In any case both ruling parties and opposition lacking in desire for healthy discussions based on true facts.
2) Internationally opposing blocks (US/NATO, EU) maneuvrers to derail processes.
3) Worldwide custom of not fully disclosing details of such agreements. Even EU does not open up full details when accepting any new country (Not the charter, which most of the times is just a document just for public relations displays).
4)Traditional habit of not including public in full discussions that is present in all post soviet countries.
5) Not having universal common goals in majority of issues ( I belive much less than between England, France and germany, the "EU core")in those negotiations between countries. For example Russia, Belarus, Kazakhistan and Armenia all have totally diffrent from each other, sometimes opposing motives and reasons in entering in negotiations, with diffrent expectations.
So most likely we will be able to fully judge when results start surfacing or becoming reality with time.

[Eddo211]

Re: Eurasian Customs Union

I have always said that we need Russia as much as Russia needs us.......alot of good playing cards on the table.
We have leverage over Russia.

[Chubs]

Re: Eurasian Customs Union

I have always said that we need Russia as much as Russia needs us.......alot of good playing cards on the table.
We have leverage over Russia.

[Artashes]

Re: Eurasian Customs Union

I have always said that we need Russia as much as Russia needs us.......alot of good playing cards on the table.
We have leverage over Russia.

Although I might word your last sentence slightly different and say ... We have significant leverage (with) Russia, I agree with your points.
Our geopolitical position is very important (extremely) to Russia.
They have made many concessions to us that they would not have made to a nobody that had nothing of real value to offer them.
Unlike the pundits who think we are Russia's lap dog, we in fact have some serious cards to play in this high stakes game.
--- a lot of good playing cards on the table --- Yes, and some of those good playing cards are ours (Hayastans).

[Mher]

Re: Eurasian Customs Union

EEU Membership Debate: Armenian lawmakers discuss treaty on joining Russia-led trade bloc

By Gayane Mkrtchyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
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Despite much criticism against Armenia’s decision on joining the European Economic Union (EEU) the National Assembly parliamentary hearings on the EEU agreement went on without heated discussions. The Heritage faction was more active than others at the hearings.

Heritage faction MP Zaruhi Postanjyan said that the EEU is a political agenda born to contrast the EU.

“Our membership will do no good to Armenia, because Russia has a big problem in the North Caucasus immediately related to our security. This country cannot be a reliable economic partner. There is an obvious, screaming polarization between the oligarchs and the citizens in this country. I do not even speak about millions of dubious affairs of [Russian President Vladimir]Putin one of which was the Sochi Olympic Games, when Russian citizens did not gain anything,” Postanjyan said.

Free Democrats Party Chairman, NA MP Khachatur Kokobelyan said that starting from January 2 the Armenian Customs Code will not function, however until now it has never been clarified what the risks for Armenia are, meaning the factor of Western sanctions imposed on Russia.

“There are many problems and we are taking an inadequate step in today’s developing world. Today the Russian ruble is falling and if any businessman hoped to have 25-30 percent profit from this membership, today it is impossible. Toward the New Year our wine and brandy producers refuse to export products to Russia because it is not clear where the Russian economy is going,” Kokobelyan said.

Meanwhile Deputy Minister of Economy Emil Tarasyan said that for 752 units of goods the EEU taxes will not be applied for the first five years, and for more than 500 - they will work the way they do in Armenia today.

“It is yet too early to say definitely that in five years goods will or will not get more expensive. Because Russia is conducting negotiations with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and has an obligation to lower the tariff. We expect some taxes to lower,” Tarasyan said.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shavarsh Kocharyan addressed the peculiarities of the EEU-Armenia agreement, saying, “We are the first to cross that road, there is no such prior experience, and it is natural that more serious and diligent work is necessary. The EEU will function only from January 1. The ratification has been completed in all countries, and according to the May 29 agreement signed in Astana, those countries will stop functioning as sovereign entities.”

According to the Deputy Minister, starting from January 1, when Armenia becomes an EEU member, its relations with Georgia and Iran will not suffer. In the EEU Committee Armenia will have three members by 2016 and they will provide one vote.

“This means if two countries make a decision they cannot do anything without Armenia’s vote,” Kocharyan said.

Kokobelyan, meanwhile, described the EEU agreement not an opportunity, but rather a challenge for Armenia and the Armenian economy.

“The question here is how you imagine any international company wanting to invest in a region where the future is in a mist… Here the question is not about being for or against Russia, and that approach is silly… Here the question is where we are going to, what achievements we will have, what problems we will face,” he said.

In response to the question on how Armenia can be a member of a structure members of which are selling weapons to its military archrival Azerbaijan, Deputy Foreign Minister Kocharyan answered: “The EEU is not the platform where that is supposed to be discussed. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is another question where Armenia is a member as well. We deal with an Economic Union and such questions are easier to be discussed at other platforms.”

http://www.armenianow.com/news/58737/armenia_parliament_eurasian_union_debate

[Mher]

Re: Eurasian Customs Union

Georgia ready to provide Armenia with free transit corridor for exporting its goods to Eurasian economic union


YEREVAN, November 26. / ARKA /. Georgia is ready to provide Armenia with a free transit corridor for exporting its goods to the Eurasian Economic Union, Armenian deputy economy minister Emil Tarasyan said today during a public discussion on Armenian exports to the Russia-led trade bloc organized by the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia.

According to him, the issue on the transit of Armenian cargoes through the territory of Georgia was included in the list of the main documents that Armenia signed with the Eurasian Economic Union, ‘because Armenia is the only country of the trade bloc, which shares no common border with any of the bloc’s members.”

"Today we are working to secure an uninterrupted shipment of Armenian goods to the Eurasian Economic Union’s markets,” said Tarasyan, adding that Armenian goods will be exempted from customs checks at the border.

Armenia formally joined the Eurasian Economic Union on October 10. The agreement was signed by the heads of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia in Minsk, Belarus. The agreement on establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union comes into force in 2015.

http://arka.am/en/news/economy/georgia_ready_to_provide_armenia_with_free_transit_corridor_for_exporting_its_goods_to_eurasian_econ/#sthash.EMjoogbG.dpuf

[Haykakan]

Re: Eurasian Customs Union

Hmmmm..... i wonder what went on here.

CLOSED-DOOR MEETING WITH US ENVOY IN ARMENIA'S PARLIAMENT

13:46 * 28.11.14

US Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern is conducting a closed-door
meeting with members of the Armenian National Assembly's Standing
Committee on Foreign Relations.

No details have been unveiled as to the issues on the agenda.

Alexander Arzumanyan (Heritage faction), one of the Committee's members
who left the discussion room for just a few minutes, said they are
considering Armenia's treaty to join the Eurasian Economic Union.

"I give no comments," he told our correspondent, adding that the
discussion is confidential.

The Committee periodically organizes meetings with foreign ambassadors
accredited to Armenia. Earlier, its members had one meeting with
Russian Ambassador Ivan Volynkin and two meetings with Mohammad
Raiesim, the ambassador of Iran.

Armenian News - Tert.am

[Artashes]

Re: Eurasian Customs Union

Georgia ready to provide Armenia with free transit corridor for exporting its goods to Eurasian economic union


YEREVAN, November 26. / ARKA /. Georgia is ready to provide Armenia with a free transit corridor for exporting its goods to the Eurasian Economic Union, Armenian deputy economy minister Emil Tarasyan said today during a public discussion on Armenian exports to the Russia-led trade bloc organized by the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia.

According to him, the issue on the transit of Armenian cargoes through the territory of Georgia was included in the list of the main documents that Armenia signed with the Eurasian Economic Union, ‘because Armenia is the only country of the trade bloc, which shares no common border with any of the bloc’s members.”

"Today we are working to secure an uninterrupted shipment of Armenian goods to the Eurasian Economic Union’s markets,” said Tarasyan, adding that Armenian goods will be exempted from customs checks at the border.

Armenia formally joined the Eurasian Economic Union on October 10. The agreement was signed by the heads of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia in Minsk, Belarus. The agreement on establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union comes into force in 2015.


http://arka.am/en/news/economy/georg....EMjoogbG.dpuf

---- a free transit corridor ----
That is incredibly good news. I'm overwhelmed.

---- closed door meeting with USA ambassador ----
This group of legislators is fact finding and cannot "cut" any deals on its own.
The USA free trade deals such as NAFTA & the euro free trade deals have the aim to open trade to other economies for their benifit mostly and a song & dance is what the others get + a sore rear end.
Almost all that these two entities have "ensnared", have been neutered.
Beware of the "west's" dog & pony show.

[Mher]

Re: Eurasian Customs Union

SCPEC to protect interests of Armenian companies in EEU - Shaboyan

Anti-competitive actions are prohibited in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), with the lowest and highest thresholds of monopoly prices to be set in the organization, Artak Shaboyan, head of Armenia’s State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition, said on Friday during an event dedicated to the prospects of Armenia’s membership in the EEU, organized by SCPEC.

Mr Shaboyan said that within six months, work will be done to bring the legislation in line with the EEU standards. In his words, the EEU rules will relate to trans-border markets and the SCPEC will do everything possible to protect interests of local businessmen and companies in the EEU.

http://www.panorama.am/en/economy/2014/12/01/shaboyan/

[Haykakan]

Re: Eurasian Customs Union

EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION REPORTEDLY SET TO ABANDON DOLLAR, EURO

12:35, 02 Dec 2014

The EEU countries could switch to national currencies in mutual
payments by 2025-2030, the chairman of the board of directors of
Russia's National Payment Council, told the Izvestia newspaper.

Transactions in dollars and euros could be banned within the
member-states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) -- Russia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan and Armenia, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The EEU countries could switch to national currencies (ruble,
Belarusian ruble, Kazakhstani tenge and Armenian dram) in mutual
payments by 2025-2030, the chairman of the board of directors of
Russia's National Payment Council, Alexander Murychev told the
newspaper.

"It is necessary to raise a question before the national banks of the
member-states on excluding the US dollar and the euro from interstate
payment transactions," said Murychev, detailing a concept for the EEU
development, which was unveiled during a meeting in Kazan on Friday.

Statistics shows that around a half of mutual payment operations
between the EEU member-states account for the US and the euro, thus
increasing the dependence of the trade bloc on the foreign countries'
economies.

The new concept envisages that the EEU member-states should create a
joint payment space allowing carrying out transactions with due regard
to the compatibility of national card systems, including BelCard
(Belarus), Armenian Card (Armenia) and their Russian counterpart,
which is currently under development.

Natalya Burykina, who chairs a committee on financial market of the
State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, said the initiative
of switching to the national currencies makes sense as the idea
is to create a single economic space in the framework of the EEU,
according to the report.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/12/02/eurasian-economic-union-reportedly-set-to-abandon-dollar-euro/