Putin to give Russia view of Eurasian Economic Union work at Astana summit, says aide

MOSCOW, May 30. /TASS/. In his speech at a session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin will voice Russia’s opinion of the first year-and-a-half activity of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Monday. "The president will sum up Russia’s view of this year-and-a-half activity of the Eurasian Economic Union and will dwell on the way we see future development of the integration," Ushakov told reporters. According to Ushakov, Putin is expected to say the Union has gone through the stage of formation, increased its membership. At the moment the EAEU is one of the biggest unions with its more than 182 million consumers and is functioning smoothly on the basis of universal regulations and principles of the World Trade Organization. "We are ready to remain committed to these regulations and principles," he said. According to Ushakov, prior to the summit Putin will meet with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. He said the two presidents would discuss the present situation in and prospects for bilateral partnership, topical international issues and ways to expand cooperation on post-Soviet space within the framework of integration entities. He said after that meeting, events scheduled for the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council would start first in a narrow and then would continue in an expanded format. They will end with the signing of joint documents. The chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Tigran Sargsyan, will give a news conference to inform reporters about results of the session. Eurasian Economic Union The Treaty on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union was signed by the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on May 29, 2014 in Astana, and came into force on January 1, 2015. The agreement is the basic document defining the accords between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan for creating the Eurasian Economic Union for the free movement of goods, services, capital and workforce and conducting coordinated, agreed or common policies in key sectors of the economy, such as energy, industry, agriculture and transport. The agreement stipulates the transition of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to the next stage of integration after the Customs Union and the common economic space. Kyrgyzstan and Armenia also joined the EAEU. Read more