ARF parliamentary faction secretary Aghvan Vardanyan today questioned the validity of a recent statement made by Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan claiming that the country’s entry into the Russian led Customs Union would facilitate a settlement of the Artsakh conflict.

Sargsyan made the statement on Saturday in Armenia, two days after Artsakh’s status was raised by Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev at a May 29 meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

Nazarbayev referred to a letter addressed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to  the three leaders of the current Customs Union, demanding that Armenia should be admitted to the Union only within its United Nations-recognized borders, i.e., without Karabakh.

Vardanyan told Hetq that Sargsyan needed to explain how Armenia’s entry into the Custom’s Union would assist such a settlement.

As to Sargsyan’s claim that Nazarbayev’s Karabakh reference, albeit repugnant, would not harm Armenia’s position, Vardanyan stated, “Perhaps that is so, but if it was repugnant maybe it should have been responded to in Astana along the lines as to what connection does Azerbaijan have with this economic union and why was this issue raised there. Nazarbayev should have been made to realize how offensive his statement was.”

Vardanyan went on to say that Sargsyan must categorically state that there will be no customs checkpoint between Armenia and Karabakh.