DUSHANBE, July 19, 2016, Asia-Plus – The Government of Tajikistan is currently considering the issue of the country’s entry into the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the head of the Customs Union under the Government of Tajikistan, Abdufattoh Ghoib, told reporters in Dushanbe on July 19.
According to him, representatives of the Customs Service were members of a working group to study the issue of Tajikistan’s entry into the EAEU.
“The working group has prepared all necessary materials and submitted them for consideration to the government,” Ghoib said.
We will recall that the head of the State Duma (Russia’s lower house of parliament) Committee on the Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasian Integration and Ties with Compatriots, Leonid Slutsky, said on July 4 that Tajikistan will declare its wish to join the Eurasian Economic Union soon.
“I think Dushanbe will declare its wish within the next year — it [Tajikistan] seeks after this more than any other CIS nation,” said Slutsky.
At the same time, he noted that “it is the choice of sovereign states”, and “we do not force anybody to join us.” “If the Committee [the EAEU] will receive a formal request from Tajikistan, we will think how to implement it,” Russian MP added.
The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU) is an economic union of states located primarily in northern Eurasia. A treaty aiming for the establishment of the EAEU was signed on May 29, 2014 by the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, and came into force on January 1, 2015. Treaties aiming for Armenia”s and Kyrgyzstan”s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union were signed on October 9, 2014 and December 23, respectively. Armenia”s accession treaty came into force on January 2, 2015. Kyrgyzstan”s accession treaty came into effect on August 6, 2015. It participated in the EAEU from the day of its establishment as an acceding state.
The Eurasian Economic Union has an integrated single market of 183 million people and a gross domestic product of over 4 trillion U.S. dollars (PPP). The EAEU introduces the free movement of goods, capital, services and people and provides for common transport, agriculture and energy policies, with provisions for a single currency and greater integration in the future. The union operates through supranational and intergovernmental institutions. The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is the “Supreme Body” of the Union, consisting of the Heads of the Member States. The other supranational institutions are the Eurasian Commission (the executive body), the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council (consisting of the Prime Ministers of member states) and the Court of the EAEU (the judicial body).
