Tajikistan is analyzing the experience of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan in the context of possible accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Sirodjiddin Mukhriddin said at a press conference on August 15.
According to him, the country pays special attention to the pros and cons of joining the organization of the two aforementioned countries, since they have similar economic indicators with Tajikistan.
At the same time, the Foreign Minister stressed that an interdepartmental working group under the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade is currently studying this issue.
"A possible decision on Tajikistan's accession to the EAEU is considered only taking into account the economic interests of the country," he added.
Sirojiddin Mukhriddin noted that "Tajikistan is not under pressure on this issue, even considering the high level of multi-vector relations with Russia."
It should be noted that the issue of Tajikistan's accession to the EAEU has been resolved for many years.
Tajikistan responded to Russia's attempts to intensify the resolution of the issue of joining the EAEU with a short phrase – "let's check the benefits and losses for the country."
In particular, at a meeting with students of the Russian-Tajik Slavic University on June 5-6, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov again stressed the advantages of Tajikistan's potential membership in the EAEU.
However, the head of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Shokhin Samadi said later that Tajikistan is not currently considering possible membership in the EAEU.
Since 2014, Russia has been encouraging Tajikistan to join the EAEU. The Union, initially consisting of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, expanded in 2015 due to the accession of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.
