Gagik Minasyan: Armenia is already in customs union with NKR

Armenia is already in customs union with another state - NKR, Gagik Minasyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs of the Armenian National Assembly, told reporters today when commenting on Armenia’s possible membership to the Customs Union.

“Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which are members of the Customs Union, have close ties with Armenia, particularly within CSTO. Russia is an allied country to Armenia, and membership to the Customs Union is interesting in this respect. It has both negative and positive sides. There are several problems in it. Armenia is already in so-called customs union with another state – NKR. We have no customs border with NKR, our economy is more than integrated, we have the same currency, and in view of all this, we should ask ourselves whether we are ready to have customs border with NKR. Of course we are not ready for it. It is only possible if NKR is also invited to join the Customs Union. It is not realistic to become a full member of the Customs Union until this issue can be solved,” Minasyan said.