Azerbaijan Will Have a Place in the EAEU If It Changes Its Policy Towards Armenia – Vladimir Lepekhin

According to Vladimir Lepekhin, the director of the Eurasian Economic Union Institute, before the October-November war in Artsakh, raising the issue of Azerbaijan's membership in the EAEU had no meaning; now the situation is different.

In an interview with Tert.am, he made this observation regarding discussions suggesting that Armenia should exercise its veto right against Azerbaijan's participation in EAEU meetings and prevent its possible future membership in the structure.

“Before the war, in a confrontation regime, Armenia should have exercised its veto right if the question of Azerbaijan obtaining observer status in the EAEU arose. Now the situation has changed. On the one hand, Armenia can certainly adopt a strong position on this issue, but on the other hand, we know that there is a trilateral agreement on ceasefire between Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan in effect. If Azerbaijan strives for Armenia to cooperate with it in some economic fields, then I do not exclude that Armenia may no longer accept that strong stance,” he said, noting that it would be good for the provisions regarding the unblocking of communications from the agreement to be implemented and that it would also be beneficial for Turkey to participate in the realization of economic projects.

According to the Russian analyst, the question of Azerbaijan's membership in the EAEU has become more trending and prospective now, drawing interest from other EAEU member states like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus.

“Of course, Russia cannot ignore Armenia's position, but it also understands that Azerbaijan's membership in the structure would be advantageous. It is simply necessary to develop arguments and find ways to convince the Armenian side on this issue. Such a thing is possible. It is just necessary to understand that Azerbaijan must also take steps towards developing economic relations with Armenia. It should propose joint economic projects, ensuring the implementation of security guarantees while preserving the Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan must change its policy towards Armenia. If this doesn’t happen, there is no place for it in the EAEU,” he stated.

In response to the observation that the Armenian people do not see the prospects for economic cooperation with Azerbaijan, the Russian analyst noted, “The agreement has been signed by the leaders of the countries. Cooperation develops initially through intergovernmental frameworks and then gradually, if it is effective, the society will adapt to it.”