Discussion of Armenia’s complaint against Russian restrictions at the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is scheduled for October, and adoption of the relevant decision will require consensus, Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said, according to RFE/RL.
The Economy Ministry said Armenia had submitted an application to the Eurasian Economic Commission seeking recognition of existing restrictions on the movement of Armenian-origin goods within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as a barrier. No information has been released on whether Armenia filed similar complaints with the EEC in previous years, but this is the first time such an application has been publicly announced.
“The Eurasian Economic Commission meeting concerning Russia’s restrictions is scheduled for October. But while some applications can be decided, for example, by eight votes in favor and two against, consensus is required in this case. If even one country vetoes it or disagrees, the decision will not be adopted. In other words, adopting such a decision is not easy,” the minister explained.
The Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission consists of 10 members, with two representatives from each member state. The Board is chaired by former Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev, while Armenia is represented by Gohar Barseghyan, who previously worked in various government agencies, and former Deputy Economy Minister Varos Simonyan. Thus, adoption of the decision will also require the consent of Russia, the country that imposed the restrictions.
Papoyan also said that, in addition to this application, other submissions have been filed with the EEC in recent months. According to him, a decision on one of them was already adopted in recent days.
“In one case involving certificates rather than restrictions, the EAEU Commission recognized one of Russia’s actions as a barrier by eight votes to two. But that decision is not final. The prime ministers have the final say, meaning it is quite a complicated system,” the economy minister said.
