From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Tue Apr 29 2003 - 09:41:19 EDT
Armenia gains Eurasia community observer status
Text of report by Armenian news agency Arminfo
Dushanbe, 28 April: Having the status of an observer with the Eurasian
Economic Community (EurAsEc) is the best option for Armenia under the
present economic conditions, Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic
Development Tigran Davtyan has told an Arminfo correspondent.
He said that this was because of Armenia's commitments to the World
Trade Organization (WTO). "EurAsEc is not yet a developed structure and
the member countries of this organization are still working on the legal
side of their relations," the deputy minister noted.
He added that right now the observer status is the best option for
Armenia since the republic will know about the processes going on in the
organization. At the same time, Tigran Davtyan did not rule out
Armenia's full membership of this organization in the future if its
commitments to the WTO would not conflict with its commitments to the
EurAsEc. "Armenia's economic system is more liberal compared to other
EurAsEc member states. Armenia is already on the path of joining the WTO
but the EurAsEc countries still have to travel that path. This is why we
received the observer status with a few conditions attached," Tigran
Davtyan said.
Source: Arminfo, Yerevan, in Russian 0540 gmt 28 Apr 03
BBC Mon TCU 280403 gc/lg
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