Sergey Kopyrkin: Participation in EAEU and BRICS does not imply  political obligations

ArmInfo. Membership in the EAEU and BRICS, where 72% of the world's mineral reserves are concentrated, does not imply political obligations. Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin stated this during the interview on the "Abovyan TIME" program, discussing the current issues of Russian-Armenian relations in terms of economic cooperation within the EAEU, as well as the potential for expansion within BRICS.

"It is valuable because it is rooted in mutual respect and benefit rather than exploiting someone in one's own interests. Armenia and Russia share strong spiritual, emotional and intellectual ties," the diplomat added. Touching upon mutually beneficial and promising areas of bilateral collaboration on the global scale, Kopyrkin recalled that the trade turnover between Armenia and Russia is nearly 40 times higher than that between Armenia and the United States.  According to the diplomat, the depth and diversity of relations are reflected in the  scale of priorities, with Russian investments in Armenia reaching a record level of $4 billion. 

"The advantage stems from the participation of our countries in shared integration processes. We are primarily referring to the EAEU, which Armenia currently chairs," Kopyrkin noted.  According to him, Armenian goods are well-received in Russia. "Any Russian supermarket offers fruits, dairy products, mineral water... This is already familiar to Russian consumers and psychologically important for Armenian exporters, as foreign suppliers have been achieving such success for decades in entering new markets," the diplomat added.

The Russian ambassador notes that the EAEU is a common market where standards are continuously harmonized and trade barriers are steadily eliminated. Kopyrkin is confident that this serves as a strong incentive for the development of relations between the countries of the Eurasian Union and their interaction with the rest of the world.

He mentioned that the last meeting of the intergovernmental council of the organization in Yerevan was attended by not only the heads of government of the EAEU member states, but also by the First Vice President of Iran, the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, and representatives from Cuba.  "Russia proceeds from the fact that strengthening collaboration between the EAEU and BRICS is absolutely logical. Establishing network connections between states, geopolitical centers, regional and subregional  associations is essential. This aligns with our vision of a large Eurasian space," Kopyrkin emphasized.

At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that a strategic document will be signed with Iran at the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan. Iran shares a direct border with Armenia, a member of the EAEU. At the same time, 34 countries have shown interest in establishing strong connections with BRICS.  "The EAEU has signed a Free Trade Agreement with Iran, which implies the gradual elimination of all barriers. Armenia plays a key role here not only because of its geographical location, but also due to the well-established trade and economic ties. Any interactions between Russia and Iran are beneficial to Armenia," Kopyrkin emphasized.  Note that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has already announced that he will attend the BRICS summit in Kazan.