Armenian Foreign Ministry on Discussions About Granting Azerbaijan Observer Status in EAEU

Currently, there is no application for observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) from any state. This was stated by Vahan Hunanian, the spokesperson for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, in response to a query from Armenpress regarding discussions on granting the Republic of Azerbaijan observer status in the EAEU.

Recently, the issue of Azerbaijan obtaining observer status in the EAEU has started to be discussed. How would you comment on this? Hunanian stated, "The procedure for granting observer state status to the EAEU is determined by Article 109 of the agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union signed on May 29, 2014. The question of granting observer status to any particular state requires a consensus decision, which necessitates consultations within the EAEU framework to ascertain the economic viability of such a step. At this time, there is no application from any state for observer status in the EAEU."

Nursultan Nazarbayev, Honorary Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Supreme Council and the first President of Kazakhstan, announced during the video conference in the session of the Eurasian Economic Supreme Council on December 10 that Azerbaijan could become an observer country in the EAEU.

During the briefing on December 15, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, positively evaluated Nazarbayev's proposal, stating that the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EAEU would contribute to the activation of mutual trade and implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects.

The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization for economic integration consisting of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Currently, Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Cuba hold observer status in the EAEU. Various depth trade agreements have been signed with five other countries: China, Iran, Vietnam, Singapore, and Serbia.

The Eurasian Economic Union was established on the basis of the Customs Union, with the agreement signed in Astana on May 29, 2014. The agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union came into effect on January 1, 2015. Armenia has been a member of the EAEU since January 2, 2015.