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Lukashenko: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan committed to create Eurasian Economic Union

According to the Belarusian leader, the treaty on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union “is taking shape,” but there was still a lot of work to do

© ITAR-TASS/Alexey Nikolsky

MOSCOW, December 24. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have confirmed their commitment to create the Eurasian Economic Union by the year 2015, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told a news conference after a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on Tuesday.

“We are determined to create and sign a very complicated document in this short period of time,” he said. “If we do not make this economic union working in the timeframe we have set, it will be a shame on the three of us [the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan] and our state.”

Lukashenko said that the three presidents at their Tuesday meeting had exchanged views on the development of Eurasian integration. According to the Belarusian leader, the treaty on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union “is taking shape,” but there was still a lot of work to do, since a number of the most sensitive positions needed to be specified. Among such positions he cited the delimitation of competences of the Union and its member states.

“Discussing the issue of the treaty’s relations with other international documents, we agreed that it must not hamper signing or implementation of earlier agreements that do not run counter to the purposes of the treaty or that create more favourable conditions for cooperation,” Lukashenko said, adding that the bilateral Union State of Russia and Belarus was to be preserved.

As concerns the functional aspect of the treaty, it is ready only by one third so far, he noted.

Lukashenko said that the treaty on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union must be a major step forward. “At the same time, it is necessary to fully realize the earlier agreements on the formation of a Common Economic Space, to use all the positive aspects of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space, to create such a legal framework and structure of the would-be Union that would ensure its high efficiency,” the Belarusian president added.

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