Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan ink agreements on creation of Eurasian Economic Union

Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan ink agreements on creation of Eurasian Economic Union
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have signed a package of agreements aimed at moving the former Soviet republics closer together, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday.

Among the agreements, which will enter into force after ratified by parliaments of the three countries, Medvedev, Belorussian President Alexander Lukashenko and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed one on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) by 2015.

"We have made another powerful move toward creation of the Eurasian Economic Union, which undoubtedly will define the future of our countries," Medvedev said after talks with his counterparts from Belarus and Kazakhstan.

The treaty envisages future common developments of the three countries, which are already the founding members of the Customs Union.

The Russian president thanked Nazarbayev who, in Medvedev's words, coined the idea of the EEU in 1990s, and Lukashenko who has initiated the current meeting.

Besides the EEU treaty, the leaders also signed a declaration about the Eurasian economic integration and the Treaty on Eurasian Economic Commission among other papers.

"The priority task now is to provide a free movement of goods, capitals, workers in our space and, in prospective, coordinated currency and macro-economic policy," Medvedev said.

He added that the Eurasian Economic Commission, the executive body of the EEU, has been open for other Commonwealth Independent States (CIS) members to join, saying that the EEU would avoid the problems the European Union came across lately.

The tripartite Customs Union became fully operational on July 1, 2010. Its member states Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have agreed to officially launch the Common Economic Space on Jan. 1, 2012.

The Eurasian Economic Union was initiated by Russian Prime Minister Putin in October. According to Putin's initiative, the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union should gradually transform itself into the Eurasian Economic Union, which is expected to become a bridge between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

English.news.cn   2011-11-18 21:05:57 FeedbackPrintRSS
MOSCOW, Nov. 18 (Xinhua)