Article
Thomas de Waal
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"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
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"programAffiliation": "russia",
"programs": [
"Russia and Eurasia"
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"topics": [
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Armenia, the Eurasian Customs Union, and the Future
There are still many questions about Armenia’s future in the Russia-led Eurasian Customs Union, as well as the future of the union itself.
Published on Jan 13, 2014
Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Armenian Service, Carnegie’s Tom de Waal discussed the factors behind Armenia’s decision to join the Russia-led Eurasian Customs Union and halt its plans to sign an Association Agreement with the European Union. De Waal suggested that the Armenian government is now working to speed up the process of Customs Union ascenscion in order to avoid being left in a vacuum without the benefits of European integration or Customs Union membership. Armenian society is less pro-Russian than the political elite, de Waal stated. However, the political elite is quite pro-Russian, and President Serzh Sargsyn may have decided to join the Customs Union to avoid a pro-Russian threat to his rule in the future.
This interview was originally aired on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
About the Author
Thomas de Waal
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe
Thomas de Waal is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
- Managing Montreux: Turkey and the Russia-Ukraine War in the Black Sea
- There Is No Shortcut for Europe in ArmeniaCommentary
Thomas de Waal
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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