View from Moscow:  signing of Armenia-EU framework agreement is by no  means the result of Yerevan`s "second attempt"

ArmInfo. The signing of Armenia-EU framework agreement is by no means the result of Yerevan's "second attempt", as the document on "comprehensive and expanded  partnership" for the creation of a free trade zone does not provide  for. Such an opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by Russian analyst  Sergei Markedonov

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 Federica  Mogherini.  The agreement will come into force after ratification by  the parliaments of Armenia and 28 EU member states.

"Even from a formal legal point of view, Armenia cannot create a free  trade zone with the EU through the head of the Eurasian coordinating  centers." The signing of the framework agreement is the result of  refusing to choose "either" or "taking into account the absence of  alternatives in the current realities for Armenia Russian security  umbrella. At the same time, economic and foreign policy  diversification for Yerevan is very important. Otherwise, the costs  of Armenia's isolation will fall on Russia's shoulders, which is  unlikely to strengthen the latter's position in the Caucasus, "the  analyst is assured. 

According to his estimates, the agreement is clearly not a sign of  normalization of relations between Russia and the EU in the  post-Soviet space, however, the rejection of the rigid principle of  "or" or "in favor of" and-and> looks symbolic. Markedonov believes  that the maximalist approach of all the complexity of the  situation in the post-Soviet states and societies did not take into  account.

"In the case of Armenia, the distance from Russia without appropriate  compensation in the sphere of security may, and promised the country  some economic benefits, but did not guarantee the preservation of  Yerevan's positions in Karabakh and in relations with Turkey.  Therefore, in 2013, it was decided to joining first in the CU, and  then in the EAEU, between the two maxims, Yerevan chose the Russian  as more reliable to ensure the security of the country, "the analyst  said.

Against this background, Armenia, in his opinion, develops relations  not only with Russia, but also with the West, primarily because of  Russian-Azerbaijani military-technical cooperation. In the first half  of 2017, the EU countries accounted for about a third of Armenian  exports and about half of imports. Also, Yerevan sees the EU as an  important partner in the development of new technologies. "However,  neither the EU nor NATO guarantees security ensured by Russia, from  the base on the border with Turkey to participation in the resolution  of the Karabakh conflict, and this role is almost unconditionally  acknowledged by the Western partners in the OSCE Minsk Group," summed  up analyst.