Armenia must use CU accession to get Karabakh issue off ground: expert

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia’s complementary policy is coming to an end, a political analyst said.

“Armenia’s accession to the Russia-dominated Customs Union might be a forced, though necessary, move. However, in this situation, Nagorno Karabakh remains an open issue,” Alexander Tsinker told PanARMENIAN.Net

In this context, the expert cited the recent statement of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev:

"Though with reservation, Kazakhstan is ready to sign a roadmap on Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union. Kazakhstan, however, demands clarification on the issue of the CU borders in connection with the Nagorno Karabakh issue."

According to Tsinker, the problem is whether Karabakh will be included in the CU sphere of activity, if not legally then at least factually. "It's no secret that the borders between Armenia and Karabakh, especially economic ones, are rather unclear."

"In this situation, Armenian leadership has a unique opportunity to get the Karabakh issue off the ground. Yerevan needs to use Russia's interest in expansion of the CU borders to promote Karabakh's involvement in the economic operations of the Union. You have to start somewhere," he stressed.