Armenia To Welcome Any Free Trade Deal Between EAEU, Gulf States - President

Armenia would welcome a possible free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which Yerevan is part of, and member states the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), President Armen Sarkissian said in an interview with Emirates News Agency on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2020) Armenia would welcome a possible free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which Yerevan is part of, and member states the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), President Armen Sarkissian said in an interview with Emirates News Agency on Tuesday.

"It is up to the leadership of these [GCC] countries. The moment they will express their interest [it can be moved forward]. They can express their interest through any partner at the Eurasian Economic Union or directly to the office of the Eurasian Economic Union ... Let's say they can [express] their interest through Armenia," Sarkissian said.

The president went on to say that if he was officially informed about an interest in concluding such an agreement on the part of the GCC, he would be ready to pass this information to the EAEU.

Sarkissian added that Singapore alongside several other non-EAEU states had already signed a free trade deal with the economic bloc, and that such a deal was the "right format" for the EAEU since it also brought political benefits and showed interest in the organization.

The EAEU is an international organization whose goal is to encourage regional economic integration through the free movement of goods, services and people within the union. The four other members of the organization are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

The GCC, established in 1981, consists of Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. GCC members maintain close coordination on economic, political and military matters to fight against threats faced by the region.