Armenië voegt zich bij Russisch handelsblok, EU verrast (en)

BRUSSELS - Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has said he wants to join a trade and political union with Russia instead of an EU alternative.

The decision was announced in a statement on the Kremlin's website during his visit to Moscow to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin i on Tuesday (3 September).

The Kremlin communique said: "The presidents reaffirmed the focus of the Russian federation and the Republic of Armenia on the further development of economic integration in the Eurasian territory … In this context, Mr Sargsyan said Armenia had decided to join the Customs Union and take the necessary practical steps to subsequently participate in the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union."

Sargsyan, before flying back to Yerevan, confirmed the news.

He said in a statement on his own website he is still keen to have good EU relations, however.

"This decision is not a rejection of our dialogue with the European institutions. During recent years, Armenia, with the support of European partners held a number of important institutional reforms. And today's Armenia, in this sense, is considerably a more effective and competitive state than years ago. We intend to continue these reforms also in the future," he noted.

The news came as a surprise to EU officials, who have concluded negotiations on a political association and free trade pact with Armenia and who expected to initial them at an EU summit with post-Soviet states in Vilnius in November.

If Armenia does become a fully fledged member of the Russian-led customs bloc, it cannot sign the EU pacts at the same time.

But Sargsyan might be trying to cherry pick bits of the Russian offer which are compatible with the EU deal.

EU diplomats in Yerevan held crisis meetings on Tuesday evening to get an insight into events.

An European Commission spokesman told this website: "We are consulting closely with our Armenian partners. When we have all the information, we will, of course, examine all the potential implications of what was announced today."

Meanwhile, Sargsyan's U-turn was made in the context of tricky developments on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Russia is Armenia's main security guarantor in its frozen conflict with Azerbaijan over the breakaway territory.

It also has a sizeable military base in Armenia itself.

But in June this year it began delivery of almost $1 billion of tanks, artillery and rocket launchers to Azerbaijan in a sign of shifting allegiance.

Russia in recent weeks has also threatened Moldova and Ukraine, two other former Soviet states which are seeking deeper ties with the EU.

It told Moldova that if it inks an EU deal in Vilnius it will cut trade relations and make it harder to solve its conflict with the breakaway territory of Transniestria.

It told Ukraine it will take "protective measures" on trade.

Putin i has said he wants all the former Soviet republics, except the Baltic states, which are already EU members, to join his customs bloc.

He also plans to transform the bloc into a political union, the Eurasian Union, in 2015.

"There is a saying in Russia: It takes a long time to saddle a horse, but no time at all to make it gallop," a Russian diplomat told EUobserver, referring to the pace of progress on Russia's Eurasian plan.