Varuzhan Hoktanyan, Executive Director of Transparency International Anticorruption Center gave interview to “Asparez” daily newspaper on the steps for Armenia’s accession to the Customs Union. To the question if Armenia might face risks of losing its independence and statehood by its accession to the Customs Union, Varuzhan Hoktanyan answered, “There are always such risks, the issue is to what extent those risks might be real.”

In reply to the question whether we are getting involved in the structure of the new Soviet Union, Hoktanyan clarified that he would rather abstain from using the word “new Soviet Union.” It is hardly likely to happen, if we mean Soviet Union in its classical sense but some integration is likely to occur. If the integration were supposed to be constrained only by economic level, the Customs Union would look more like some EU model. A threat might arise if deeper integration processes follow. A dominating state – Russia would emerge, which, by using its position, would look like the model of Russian Empire. Accordingly, Armenia and other states would simply turn into provinces without having any independence, as in the Soviet Union. I am afraid of more dangerous version – the Customs Union might be turned into a model Russian Empire.”

Hoktanyan noted that by entering into the Customs Union, though not immediately, we might lose our national currency. “It is a long process. There are Belarus and Kazakhstan besides Armenia, which are economically more powerful. I have not heard so far that those countries were willing to refuse from their national currencies. If it were the model of Armenia-Russia united state, it might easily lose its currency but if it is Customs Union which would be turned into Eurasian Union, lots of years are needed for the process to be carried out.”

Whether our government would pursue its domestic and foreign policy according to the manner dictated or imposed by Russia, Hoktanyan said that it happened hitherto as well. “The issue is more difficult and rather serious, as to how the country is powerful internally to be able to resist the coercion. If we look at the same EU, weak countries are also included in it. They exist at the expense of more powerful countries of the EU. For instance, Greece and Italy are in bad state but other EU countries, like Holland or Denmark prosper.”

Hoktanyan is sure that a country’s system is effective and viable due to the country’s internal abilities. “If a country is weak and miserable and it begs money from all over the world, it might lose everything no matter it is integrated or not, or integrated to Europe or Russia. A state must be powerful internally.”

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