Eurasian Economic Union Treaty to Be Signed in May – Russian Official

BERLIN, April 10 (RIA Novosti) – The treaty establishing the Eurasian Economic Union will be signed by the leaders of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in May, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said Thursday.

”There will be a Eurasian Economic Union. The presidents of the three countries are determined to ink the treaty on the establishment of the Eurasian [Economic] Union, which will come into force as of January 1, 2015. I hope these plans will be realized,” Shuvalov said at the international "east forum Berlin" conference.

The Eurasian Economic Union will discuss with the EU the possibility of a “common economic space and even free trade zones,” the deputy prime minister said.

In 2011, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed an agreement, setting a target of 2015 for establishing the Eurasian Union, an economic union of post-Soviet states. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have also expressed interest in joining the organization.