Armenia in trouble as isolation by Azerbaijan bites hard

By Kamal Ali

Recently, almost all adult members of a large family in Armenia’s Ararat marz (province) left for Russia to apply for Russian citizenship. 

President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill making it easier for residents of the former Soviet Union to get Russian passports. The Armenian men also took the passports and birth certificates of their wives and children in case they had the opportunity to stay on in Russia permanently.

Life is not easy in Armenian villages. Farmers are suffering under the heavy burden of loans they borrowed from banks. They sell out their farmland at giveaway prices and leave at the first opportunity. Those who stay in have difficulty selling their products. 

Problems with fuel and water are common, according to Armenian news website lragir.am. The situation is as difficult in other sectors of the economy. According to Artur Arekelyan, an economic expert, nearly 1,500 small businesses have closed in the past year alone. Each had up to five jobs.

Armenians are moving out of the country in masse, and the scale of emigration has reached catastrophic levels. Those leaving the country also include intellectuals, according to a UN report. 

There are many reasons for Armenia’s emigration problem. One key reason is the country’s isolation from regional and global economic projects. Under Russian pressure, President Serzh Sargsyan last year refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union. He decided to join the Russia-led Customs Union of former Soviet republics. The union has yet to accept Armenia’s bid for membership. 

And it emerges that Armenia cannot join the Customs Union either without Azerbaijan’s consent. 

Armenia is unlikely to join the Customs Union because of the unresolved conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, political analyst Andrias Gukasyan said in an interview with Tert.am. 

Gukasyan, a former presidential candidate, said: “Armenia cannot join the Customs Union without Azerbaijan’s permission, and it is clear that Azerbaijan will not allow that to happen. The members of the Customs Union – Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan – have close economic, political and military ties with Azerbaijan. The position of the Azerbaijani side on this is extremely important. If Azerbaijan’s refuses, Armenia will have to erect a customs checkpoint at the border with Nagorno-Karabakh, which is not doable.”  

The Armenian government seems confused on how to overcome the obstacle in the way of joining Russia-led economic unions. The situation is so serious that the country’s economy minister, Vagram Avanesyan, made two conflicting statements in just two days. 

In his first statement, Avanesyan said Armenia was going to sign agreements on April 29 to join the Customs Union. He denied that a day later.  

“Avanesyan makes conflicting statements like these because the program was a bluff from day one,” said Andrias Gukasyan, the economic expert. “The Armenian authorities are helpless and are simply trying to hide that.”

Armenia has only one way out: instead of seeking membership of Russia-led alliances, it’d better join Russia itself as Crimea did last month, said Artur Sakunts, head of the Vanadzor office of Helsinki Citizens Assembly. He could not explain why Armenia had to change its political line. What is clear is Armenia’s desire to bow to the Russian empire, Sakunts told Tert.am.

Bakudaily.az