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.