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Press Review


“Haykakan Zhamanak” says that Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Serzh Sarkisian of Armenia will have “many issues to discuss” when they meet in the Russian city of Sochi on Wednesday. “But since Russia is trying, together with the two other co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, to end the deadlock in Karabakh peace talks, the key topic now is a Sarkisian-Aliyev meeting planned for this autumn,” the paper says. “In order for the meeting to take place, the Azerbaijani side should guarantee that it will not walk away from agreements on confidence-building measures in the conflict zone. [Ilham] Aliyev may have given such guarantees at his [recent] meeting with Putin [in Sochi.] But of course he may have also not given them. Vladimir Putin will definitely communicate the Azerbaijani president’s position to Serzh Sarkisian today.”

“Aravot” comments on reports that Turkey is seeking to sign a free-trade deal with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Armenia has already made clear through Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian that Ankara cannot reach such a deal without Yerevan’s consent. Kocharian also pointed in that regard to the long-running Turkish economic blockade of Armenia. “Turkey is making yet another move aimed at deepening its relations with Moscow,” writes the paper. “These are not easy times for Ankara, and the Turkish authorities are seeking access to the EEU markets. For its part, Moscow was quite flattered by such a statement from Ankara given its efforts to boost the EEU’s clout.”

“Hraparak” quotes Stepan Grigorian, an Armenian analyst, as suggesting that the Turks are “blackmailing” the European Union with their stated desire to forge closer commercial ties with the Russian-led trade bloc. He believes that Ankara cannot enter into any free-trade agreements with the EEU without scrapping its customs union with the EU. “The Armenian factor is also at play,” adds Grigorian. “If Turkey wants to form a free-trade area with the EEU how can it keep the border with Armenia closed? I don’t think that this stage Turkey will willingly open the border with Armenia.”

(Tigran Avetisian)

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