Tag Archives: Customs Union

Kyrgyzstan becomes ideological battleground

OCT. 31 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – In an article for a policy website, the US ambassador in Bishkek, Pamela Spratlen, appeared to cement Kyrgyzstan’s place as an ideological sparring ground between Washington and the Kremlin.

In particular, Ms Spratlen, who has been the US ambassador to Kyrgyzstan since April 2011 highlighted the differences between Washington and the Kremlin over Russia’s aim to pull Kyrgyzstan into the Eurasian Economic Union as well as their divergent views over gay rights.

“Another challenge to our efforts to support Kyrgyzstan’s democracy is its growing partnership with Russia,” she wrote on Council of American Ambassadors website, a website for essays written by senior US diplomats. “It remains an unanswered question how Kyrgyzstan can maintain its democratic trajectory while pursuing this partnership.”

Ms Spratlen specifically said the Customs Union, which will become the Eurasian Economic Union next year and grow to include Kyrgyzstan and Armenia alongside Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, was as much about politics as economics.

Legislation passing through Kyrgyzstan’s parliament bears all the hallmarks of Russian political influence. A parliamentary bill forbidding “positive attitudes towards non-traditional sexual orientations” was overwhelmingly endorsed at its first reading last month, echoing a similar bill passed in 2013 in Russia.

Importantly, Ms Spratlen said Kyrgyzstan may be sleep walking into membership of the Eurasian Economic Union because it feels like it has no choice, especially as it is surrounded by more authoritarian countries in Central Asia.

“Both officials and business leaders appear unenthused, but resigned to this choice, seeing a lack of better options,” she wrote.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

EU aid still flowing to Armenia

NOV. 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Although Armenia has agreed to join the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, currently called the Customs Union, in 2015, the EU approved a 140m – 170m euros tranche of aid. The aid will be used to bolster the private sector, the justice sector and reform government institutions.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

CU bolsters Tajik security

OCT. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – At a meeting of CIS heads of states in Minsk, Tajik president Emomali Rakhmon said Belarus and Armenia had already given it aid to bolster security along its border with Afghanistan. Tajikistan wants to join the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union which counts Belarus and Kazakhstan as members. Armenia is joining in 2015.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)

Kyrgyzstan readies for Customs Union

OCT. 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan’s parliament passed a raft of economic reforms that paved the way for its accession into the Russia-led Customs Union. Kyrgyzstan wants to join the Customs Union by the end of this year. The Customs Union will morph into the Eurasian Economic Union at the start of 2015.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 203, published on Oct. 8 2014)

Armenia to join CU soon

SEPT. 17 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia will join the Russia-led Customs Union on Oct. 9, Leonid Slutsky, head of Russian State Duma Committee on CIS told Interfax news agency. Armenia has previously said that it is aiming to join the Customs Union sometime this year although it has not set a date.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 201, published on Sept. 24 2014)

Opinion poll in Armenia backs Customs Union membership

SEPT. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – An opinion poll in Armenia has highlighted support for joining the Russia-led Customs Union, despite sanctions against Kremlin-linked companies that have triggered a negative knock-on effect on the Armenian economy.

The poll carried out by Gallup last month showed that 60% of people in Yerevan still favoured joining the Customs Union later this year, media reported.

Aram Havasardyan, Gallup’s representative in Armenia, said that this was a slight drop from the 70% who favoured membership of the Customs Union in 2013.

Clearly support for Russia has held up in Armenia despite the sanctions against Russia imposed on it by the US and the EU because of its meddling in Ukraine. This is important for President Serzh Sargsyan who has been pushing for membership.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 200, published on Sept.17 2014)

Armenia still looking to CU

SEPT. 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Officials in Armenia have been mounting a PR campaign to persuade people that sanctions on Russia and their negative effect on its economy will not stop the country joining its Customs Union. Joining the Russia-led Customs Union has become a major policy plank for Armenia’s leaders.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)

Kyrgyzstan prepares CU laws

AUG. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyz PM Djoomart Otorbayev approved a long list of bills and laws to be passed through parliament in order for Kyrgyzstan to become a member of the Russia-led Customs Union this year. The list is further evidence that Kyrgyzstan is committed to joining the group.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)

Economy slides in Armenia

SEPT. 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia’s economy grew by only 2.3% in the second quarter of this year compared to a year earlier, the national statistics agency reported.

The low growth underscores concerns about the Armenian economy. In August, the Central Bank cut its full year growth forecast to between 3.6% and 4.2% from 4.1% and 4.8% because of the impact of sanctions on Russia’s economy. The health of the Russian economy is vital to Armenia.

Other international economic organisations have followed and warned that economic growth in 2014 will be lower than growth in 2013.

This is, of course, worrying for Armenian officials who are looking to boost the economy. The danger for Armenia is that it’s trapped in having to follow Russia.

Armenia is surrounded by enemies, mainly Turkey and Azerbaijan, and looks to Russia for support but with the Russian economy increasingly fragile because of sanctions this is dangerous.

And Armenia appears destined to join the Russia-led Customs Union later this year. These are definitely difficult times for Armenia’s policymakers.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)

Russia lifts restrictions on Kyrgyz food imports

AUG. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Perhaps trying to woo Kyrgyzstan into the embrace of the Customs Union, Russia agreed to lift restrictions on the import of Kyrgyz agriculture products, media reported. The restrictions were imposed over food safety fears. Kyrgyzstan has applied to join the Russia-led Customs Union later this year.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 197, published on Aug. 27 2014)