DUSHANBE, July 5, 2010, Asia-Plus — President Emomali Rahmon today morning left for Astana, Kazakhstan to attend a regular session of the Interstate Council of the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) that is opening there today, Asia-Plus has learned from the source at the Tajik government.
Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi, State Adviser to the President for International Policy Erkin Rahmatulloyev, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Farrukh Hamrakiyev and Minister of Finance Safarali Najmiddinov are accompanying Rahmon on his visit to Kazakhstan.
The session is bringing together the presidents of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan to discuss issues related to further economic integration of member nations of the Community and cooperation in the fields of trade and finance.
The heads of state from Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan will have an opportunity to congratulate Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on his 70th birthday, the source said.
In the meantime, Kazakh media report the Kazakh leader forbade local officials to celebrate his jubilee. Over the past ten years, July 6 has been officially celebrated as a Day of the Kazakh Capital City.
The initial concept of the Eurasian Economic Community was first proposed in October 2000, as a successor to the CIS Customs Union, when Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan signed a treaty on broad economic and trade cooperation. The organization was formally created with the ratification of that treaty in May 2001. The initial five-member group was further expanded in May 2002 when Moldova and Ukraine were granted observer status, and again in April 2003, when Armenia gained observer status. In January 2006, Uzbekistan joined EAEC. But alter in 2008 Uzbekistan decided to temporarily suspend its membership.
