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Russian PM calls for reasonable integration within Eurasian Economic Union

Dmitry Medvedev said that a number of foreign media describe the Eurasian Economic Union as a Soviet-style scheme imposed by Russia

MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has called nonsense the talk that Moscow is allegedly trying to impose political integration within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The prime minister said at the World Congress of Russian Press on Thursday that a number of foreign media describe the EAEU as a Soviet-style scheme imposed by Russia.

"[Allegedly] the Russian leaders are dreaming of reviving the Soviet Union and start to dictate their will to other countries and impose on them their rules," Medvedev said. "We understand with you that all this is nonsense, it’s impossible, but such stereotypes nevertheless exist," the prime minister said. "However, our country in this sphere is not going to impose anything on anybody," he added. According to him, full-fledged economic integration within EAEU would be accompanied by political integration.

"Political integration should be absolutely reasonable. If we are ready for integration and this causes no controversy in our society systems and among the people, we can possibly do it," Medvedev said.

According to him, different EAEU countries have their own views on that or other issues. "Therefore, this path is not an easy one, but we will continue on it and I’m sure that integration in our post-Soviet space is inevitable, but most importantly, it promises major advantages to our peoples," he said. The Russian government head said that at first the Customs Union was created that started the normal integration. "And then the Eurasian Economic Union was formed. Over five years [from the start of the discussion] the Eurasian Union has grown to include not three, but already five countries," he said.

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organisation for regional economic integration. It has international legal personality and is established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. The EAEU provides for free movement of goods, services, capital and labor, pursues coordinated, harmonized and single policy in the sectors determined by the Treaty and international agreements within the Union. The EAEU member states are the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. The Union is being created to comprehensively upgrade, raise the competitiveness of and cooperation between the national economies, and to promote stable development in order to raise the living standards of the nations of the member states.