PAP MP Michael Melkonyan, who is also Vice Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, analyzing as to what joining the Customs Union will give to our country with regard to economy, has find out that being in this Union 260 million dollars customs duty will enter our country. As per interpretation, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan together collect 260 billion customs duties, of which 87% goes to Russia, 4.7% to Belarus and more than 7% to Kazakhstan. In other words, according to Mr. Melkonyan, if our country joins the Customs Union and 1% of collected customs duty goes to Armenia, it will turn out that annually 260 million dollars will enter Armenia. “Two and a half times more than Armenia is collecting customs duties as of today, in joining this union we are benefiting”,- assured Mr. Melkonyan.
During our conversation, Mr. Melkonyan said that he is expressing the opinion of not PAP, but his as an economist. It was not yet clear for the MR whether by joining the Customs Union it would be possible to ratify the Association Agreement with the EU, because “Before the RA President’s visit to Moscow, we knew that joining the trade area constitutes a part of the Association Agreement, the problem is whether it is possible to separate them.” Economist Melkonyan’s interpretations in more details in the video. Commenting on the forecasts of Russian economists that joining the Customs Union the price of gas will be reduced for Armenia and Armenia will come out of the transportation blockade, Mr. Melikyan believes that “Gas prices will never go down.” To our question whether we joined the Customs Union at the expense of Karabakh, Mr. Melkonyan expressed conviction that by doing this we “deepened the status quo.” He is sure that “our country should not do and does not do anything at the expense of Karabakh.” Details in the video.
Lusine Budaghyan
