Armenia frightened by West-Russia relations escalation
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
Escalation of West-Russia relations poses a real threat to Armenia which depends on its giant northern neighbor politically and economically.
West's sanctions against Russian would fire back. Russia changed its state of the market, attracting new investors. Tension is on therise and no one can predict the possible results.
This has put the Caucasus country in a great panic. Armenia made its final decision to join the Eurasian Economic Union and quite obviously the economic difficulties facing Russia will affect the Armenian economy as well.
MP from the Republican Party of Armenia, Co-Chairman of the Commission for Armenia-EU Cooperation, is sure that the growing tension in Russia-West relations is bad for Armenia.
Samvel Farmanyan referred to the current political turbulences in the Middle East and Ukraine as sign of the new cold war. And Armenia will have to experience tough conditions due to its undecided position between Russia and Europe.
Farmanyan added that Armenia has always suffered from the escalation of ties between Russia and the West, as each time, the small Caucasus state felt itself at the junction of conflicting interests of the world's superpowers.
"In this context, I urge the political forces to stop dividing the Armenian society into pro-Russian and pro-Western groups," he stressed.
The government's decision to join the Customs Union has divided the society into two groups, one supporting the prospective membership at the Russia-led alliance and the other one calling for proximity to Europe.
Armenia pursues economic interests in the EEU and regards it as a way out of the its current crisis. This comes as analysts predict a high inflation rate following the membership at the union.
Still there is no unanimous opinion in Armenia regarding the EEU membership. Some hail it as an advantageous step, while othersview it as a step backwards.