A Russia-Led Integration.docVIP

A Russia-Led IntegrationThe Eurasian Economic Union （EEU）， a Russia-led trade bloc， came into being on the first day of 2015， marking a milestone for the economic integration of the Commonwealth of the Independent States （CIS）， the members of which have remained separate since the Soviet Union was dismantled in 1991.The EEU members will implement a series of policies addressing customs， free trade， free movement of labor and other measures aimed at boosting the economies of the member states. By the end of 2025， the Eurasian economic group will have established a common market. Besides Russia， the bloc includes four states： Belarus； Kazakhstan； Armenia， which joined the group on January 2； and Kyrgyzstan， slated to become a full-fledged member on May 1.The EEU was established on the foundation of a customs union consisting of Russia， Belarus and Kazakhstan when leaders of the three countries signed the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union last May in Astana， capital of Kazakhstan.Russian President Vladimir Putin said in Moscow at a leaders meeting of the EEU last December that the bloc’s membership is not limited to the CIS states， adding that he welcomes the participation of Russia’s neighbors―both East and West.According to the State Duma， Russia’s parliament， 28 countries have expressed interest in cooperating with the EEU. Iran and Turkey， for instance， have both sought to take part in a free trade zone representing the sole avenue of cooperation pursued between EEU and non-CIS countries thus far. Viet Nam closely followed a precise roadmap in its bid to join the free trade zone but to no avail.Russia intends to overcome current economic hardships and cement its geopolitical influence with the help of the EEU. In 2011， Putin mapped out a chart to build an economic union. The establishment of the EEU has been hailed as a major diplomatic achievement for Putin since his return to the Kremlin in 2012.The EEU covers a huge market of 170 million people stretching ac