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Russian diplomat says work on EAEU-China agreement to start soon

EAEU members are expected to confirm their joint positions on China on May 31
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and Dai Bingguo, the Chinese chair of the Chinese-Russian Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development at the conference "Russia and China: to the new quality of bilateral relations" Mikhail Japaridze/TASS
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and Dai Bingguo, the Chinese chair of the Chinese-Russian Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development at the conference "Russia and China: to the new quality of bilateral relations"
© Mikhail Japaridze/TASS

MOSCOW, May 31. /TASS/. Work on the cooperation agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and China will start very soon, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said on Tuesday.

"The negotiations process on cooperation between EAEU and China is just starting. EAEU members countries are expected to confirm their joint positions today in Astana on holding talks with Beijing," Morgulov said.

"The process will start very soon from the common negotiations position but it is hard to say how much time it will take," he added.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said on Monday that the leaders of EAEU member countries will kick off talks on trade and economic agreement with China on May 31. He added that cooperation with China will become a separate topic for discussion at the talks of the leaders in the narrow format in the framework of the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.

Earlier today Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the conference "Russia and China: to the new quality of bilateral relations" that the principal agreement was reached on ways to link Eurasian integration and China’s Silk Belt Economic Project.

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.

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.