Belarus is to sign the EEU treaty on May 29, First Deputy Prime Minister says

It was announced during the Belarusian Industrial Forum in Minsk on May 21.

According to Uladzimir Siamashka, all approval procedures have already been completed, and the draft Treaty on the Formation of the Eurasian Economic Union is expected to be signed by the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia in Astana on May 29, BelaPAN quotes him saying. “Yesterday the government discussed this document once again and found ways to deal with all issues,” he said on May 21 at the Belarusian Industrial Forum in Minsk. “The Belarusian side is, basically, ready to sign the treaty.” First Deputy PM also added that Belarus continues to demand the abolition of all exceptions from the Eurasian Economic Union’s free trade regime and all economic barriers.

As EuroBelarus Information Service already informed, earlier Lukashenka threatened to block the signing of the Treaty if some current restrictions in trade, including petroleum product duties, were not removed, saying that “we should renew talks on the Eurasian Economic Union in about ten years”.

However, on May 9 Belarusian President said that Belarus is not going to block the signing of the Treaty on the Formation of the Eurasian Economic Union: “We are not going to block the signing of this treaty. If we cannot make a leap forward, we should move on in small steps. We believe in it”.

Let us also recall that signing of the Treaty on the Formation of the Eurasian Economic Union based on the Customs Union, which currently consists of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, is scheduled for May 29.