We mustn’t play tricks with Russia: S. Saroyan (video)
“My wife doesn’t have any business, we don’t have any business, now we are involved in politics,”- says NA HHK party member Samvel Aleksanyan. Former businessman Samvel Aleksanyan has many political ideas on the benefits of Armenia in case of joining the Eurasian Economic Union: “We have many benefits.” The politician doesn’t consider it awful that Armenia connects its bad economy with Russia, which is in deep economic crisis, “There is crisis everywhere, not only here.” Retired army corps commander Sedrak Saroyan has more comprehensive look at the new union. It doesn’t threaten Armenia in any way, “Why do you think that if we enter the Customs Union, we will lose our independence?” Mr. Saroyan warns about the consequences of not joining the union- we mustn’t play tricks with Russia, “Do you know how many Armenian workers there are in Russia? Only the fact that they are deported. Isn’t it enough? Our people can go and work there.” The arguments of Mher Sedrakyan in support of the EEU are more significant, they will swallow us, if we don’t play with Russians, “Our nation has always been under the yoke of others- Persians, Turks, Russians. Isn’t it better to be under the yoke of Russia?” Mr. Sedrakyan thinks that Russians have had deep roots in the first years of our independence and Karabakh war, not only we defeated Azerbaijanis, “We defeated, but who kept, if there weren’t Russians, how would we keep it?” Stepan Demirchyan agrees that by joining the EEU, we solve the issue of security, “The security system, which Armenia enters, has no alternative.” But most of the parties came to the National Assembly with the promise of Eurointegration: why isn’t the issue of joining the EEU put to referendum? BHK party member Mikayel Melkumyan thinks, “We would get positive results, I am sure.”
