Since 2022 within the EAEU, according to the organization’s membership agreement, the prices of goods imported from third countries will increase. Anzhela Khachatryan, vice president of the “Free Democrats” party talked about this. She particularly mentioned: “Since the aim is to develop trade and economic relations between the EAEU member countries, the customs duty rate for imports from third countries is rising.
This is not a novelty and has not just been determined. It was known at the time when the EAEU membership agreement was being debated. If today, for example, from Georgia, an Armenian citizen can bring 1500 euros and 50 kg of personal use goods overland, then since 2022 this amount will decrease to 500 euros and 25 kg respectively. That is, if a person brings a computer or camera worth more than 500 euros for his personal use, he must make a customs payment. This is an obvious limitation and a unique blockade. The EAEU advocates are not interested in talking about this, as it immediately hits the citizen’s pockets”.
The interlocutor underlined that the goods and products of the consumer basket will rise in price, merely due to the fact that their import customs tariffs will increase from non-member countries, and the following is the order for importing weapons: if EAEU member Armenia wants to buy weapons from third countries, it must make 18% additional payments to EAEU budget.
“If we want to acquire ‘Smerch’ from China, we need to make 18% additional payments. And it is under the conditions of our security problems, and its goal is to have no alternatives, to be forced to buy weapons only from Russia. They say there is no alternative to the EAEU, but the authorities have excluded alternatives by joining the EAEU”, noted Anzhela Khachatryan.
According to her, the Armenian authorities insisted that membership in the EAEU raises the RA security component, but that bubble exploded during the April military operations last year, when Azerbaijan attacked with weapons purchased from Russia: “And even in those days Deputy Prime Minister of strategic partner Russia, announced that they would continue to sell weapons to Azerbaijan, that’s a business. But we have the 1997 Armenian-Russian friendship agreement, in which the parties are obliged to undertake steps to promote peace, which, in fact, remains on the paper taking into account the behavior of the Russian side. Especially, how does the sale of offensive weapons to Azerbaijan contribute to peace in the region? They explain that it is a business, and it is for Azerbaijan’s “personal” use. But a question arises: does Azerbaijan have other direction to use that weapon against, except Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia?”.
Luiza SUKIASYAN
