ArmInfo. Russia can not prohibit post-Soviet countries, in general, and Armenia, in particular, to have trade and economic relations with the EU similar to their own. It's no secret that Brussels is the main trade and economic partner of Moscow. A similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by the scientific director of the German-Russian forum (Berlin) Alexander Rahr.
"In my opinion, in general, Moscow is interested in cooperation between the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union, since this factor contributes to the formation of partnership relations between the two integration structures, and this cooperation will allow us to solve many of the pressing problems in the future," he said.
At the same time, the German political scientist believes that Armenia's signing of the Agreement on Comprehensive and Expanded Partnership with the EU did not become a sharp step from Russia towards the European Union. According to him, Moscow, first of all, is irreconcilable even to the very possibility in the long term of achieving between Armenia and the EU allied relations in the field of defense.
On November 24, Armenia signed the Agreement on Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership with the EU on the margins of the Eastern Partnership Summit in Brussels. Signatures under the agreement in the presence of RA President Serzh Sargsyan and the chairman of the European Council Donald Tusk were put by the RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and the head of European diplomacy Federic Mogerini. The agreement will come into force after ratification by the parliaments of Armenia and 28 EU member states.
At the same time, Rahr does not consider the existing Armenia-EU agreement as the start of the way of Yerevan to Europe. According to his estimates, the EU is already losing its former attractiveness not only in Armenia, but also in other countries of the post-Soviet space. As an example, he highlighted the situation in Moldova, a large part of whose population, in his view, the point of view promoted by pro-Western forces does not share.
They realize that it is impossible to expand the EU in the short term, according to the political scientist, and in Europe, whose inhabitants do not want this, especially against the backdrop of Brexit, the EU's internal problems over which the leaders of Germany and France are beating today.