Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that he saw no obstacles for the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEC) to start operating in 2015. The Russian leader says that the member-countries of the future union are currently preparing and making significant strides in this direction.
"In case of economic integration we should go further. The Common Economic Space of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will be open on January 1, 2012. The aim is to create the EAEC by 2015, which will largely determine the future of our countries", said Dmitry Medvedev said during the annual address to the Federal Assembly of Russia.
Dmitry Medvedev hopes that partner-countries of EurAsEC, CIS and other countries may want to join the new formation, RIA Novosti.
"They may join this work as soon as they are ready. We hope that this economic union will become a kind of glue of the European and Asia-Pacific region, an influential force and a partner in the global economy," President said.
EAEC creators want to consider mistakes of the EU
First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Zubkov said Russia and its partners, participating in the creation of the Eurasian Union, would try to consider the mistakes, occurred when creating the European Union.
Viktor Zubkov said that the union would not be as large as the EU. A smaller number of participants will become its members.
In November 2011, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko called other dates for the creation of the Eurasian Union. President of Belarus hopes to form the Eurasian Union earlier than planned by his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.
"We formed the base (CES) 18 months ago. Well, let's end it up to 2013," suggested the Belarusian leader.
The idea of a prototype of the Eurasian Union was first announced by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1994. Then this topic was raised by Vladimir Putin in 2011 in the article published in the newspaper Izvestia.
The Russian prime minister stressed the new alliance should in no way be seen as an attempt to revive the Soviet Union. According to the Prime Minister, it's going to be a bridge between Europe and Asia-Pacific region.
Following Vladimir Putin's article, Alexander Lukashenko and Nursultan Nazarbayev published their views over the future union in the newspaper, as well.
