Currently, the Tajik authorities are not considering the issue of the country's possible accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), said Shokhin Samadi, head of the Information and Press Department of the Tajik Foreign Ministry.
So Samadi commented on the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who expressed the hope that Tajikistan in the near future "will determine for itself the benefits of joining the EAEU," Avesta reports.
The parties did not discuss the integration of Tajikistan into the EAEU either at the meeting with the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, or at the talks with Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Mukhriddin, which took place on June 6, the representative of the Tajik Foreign Ministry explained
“The issue of Tajikistan's accession to the EAEU is not on the agenda. During the meetings in Dushanbe, the emphasis was placed exclusively on the issues of enhancing trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, regional security, as well as on the interaction of the two countries within the framework of international organizations,” Samadi told TASS.
The issue of Tajikistan joining the EAEU, which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, has been discussed since 2015. During a visit to Dushanbe on June 6, 2023, Sergei Lavrov expressed the hope that the Tajik authorities would nevertheless “soon determine for themselves the benefits of joining the Eurasian Economic Union.” In another speech, the Russian minister cited statistics: according to the Eurasian Development Bank, last year the countries of the Union accounted for 44% of Tajikistan's foreign trade.
Of the countries of Central Asia, the EAEU includes Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan has the status of an official observer.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 7, 2023