The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is the only supranational body allowing us to reach consensus-based decisions in collaboration with other member states, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said today, considering the principle a vital achievement of Armenia's integration into the bloc.
At the National Assembly hearing summing up the past year of Armenia's presidency, Kocharyan also praised the essential difference as a "contributing factor to economic growth" (noting that it allows the sums collected from the customs fees to be distributed based on specific interest rates).
Addressing the proposed plan to conduct an EAEU assembly to consider the approximation of the member states' laws, Kocharyan said he would treat it as a more logical option in case of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organization. ''But if we are speaking about an organization which has a supranational body taking those [legally] binding decisions for all, is any approximation necessary at all? The member states, in this case, can adopt legal acts potentially running counter to the EAEU objectives, of which four – dealing with labor force, free movement of goods, services and free movement of capital – are vitally significant. This is the real purpose. So should any country adopt a legal act that obstructs any of these [processes], we will need to undertake the necessary measures, '' he said.
Kocharyan also expressed his strong opposition to the public discourse arguing the dilemma between a simultaneous membership in different blocs and restrictions of choice. ''An 'either ... or ....' option suggests an outlook upon the things only in the context of black and white. What is extremely advantageous for Armenia is membership in the EAEU and cooperation with the EU. Equally advantageous is the cooperation with the US, China, Iran and Japan. This is why I would propose abandoning the tactics of comparisons,'' he added.
