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No new full members of EAEU expected in near future — Russian MFA

Mikael Agasandyan, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s First CIS Department, said there are applications for observer status

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The accession of new countries to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as full members is not yet expected, Mikael Agasandyan, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s First CIS Department, told TASS.

"Regarding membership specifically, there are no applications yet. In any case, both observer status and EAEU membership require the consent of all current member states, which primarily consider the economic benefits, whether this will be beneficial for the integration association. Our goal is not expansion for the sake of expansion," he said.

"There are applications for observer status, but no applications for membership," Agasandyan added. "Observer status means that a country is familiarizing itself with the work, taking a closer look at benefits, drawbacks, etc. There is also the format of memoranda of cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) itself as the executive body and the state. Individual technical and industry-specific issues may be regulated there," he explained.

Pakistan’s Deputy Minister of Commerce Nasir Hamid told TASS earlier that the country intends to join the Eurasian Economic Union, already making preparations for that.