Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia resolute to sign EEU treaty on schedule
MOSCOW. December 25. KAZINFORM Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia are resolute to sign the treaty on founding the Eurasian Economic Union in line with the previously determined schedule. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko made the statement after the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Moscow on 24 December, BelTA has learned.
"If we fail to get the Eurasian Economic Union up and running at the time we have chosen - as from 1 January 2015 - it will be a disgrace for all of us," said the Belarusian head of state. He underlined that with this in mind the three countries are resolute to create and sign the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty within a short period of time.
Alexander Lukashenko remarked that they had had productive and useful exchange of opinions not only about matters concerning future Eurasian integration but many other topical collaboration matters. The Belarusian head of state underlined that preparing the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty is the most important task now.
"We believe that the creation of the new association on the basis of the Customs Union without any exemptions and restrictions with regard to merchandise trade between the participating countries is an important matter relevant for the future development of integration. We have advanced as far as possible in enabling the free flow of commodities," said the Belarusian leader.
"The full-value freedom of commodity flow should be an example for implementing the other freedoms in the spheres of services, capital, and workforce as stipulated by basic agreements of the Single Economic Space," believes the Belarus President. According to the Belarusian side, this approach will allow accomplishing the ambitious task of creating the Eurasian Economic Union within a short time, BelTA reports.
Alexander Lukashenko remarked that the session had once again confirmed the commitment of the leaders to advancing integration. "We are capable of reaching a consensus on all issues, even the most sensitive ones," believes the Belarusian leader. "The existing trustful relations between the countries will secure the further advance of mutually beneficial cooperation".
At the 24 December session the presidents agreed that exemptions will have to be reduced in order to eliminate them in the end.
In turn, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev remarked that the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union is an innovative project of the modern time. In his words, it is not an attempt to recreate the USSR and all the participating states share the view. "We are moving forward instead of backward," he said. The President added that the integration association will not repeat other similar unions.