Azerbaijan did not apply for observer status in EEU- Armenian foreign ministry
YEREVAN, December 17. /ARKA/. No application for observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) has been submitted as of today, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan told Armenpress news agency in a comment on discussions on granting observer status to Azerbaijan.
The idea to grant Azerbaijan observer status was suggested by former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev on December 10.
"The procedure for granting observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union is determined by Article 109 of the Law on the Eurasian Economic Union of May 29, 2014. The issue of granting observer status to a state requires a consensus decision, which is preceded by consultations within the EEU to determine the economic feasibility of such a step. At the moment, no state has applied for observer status in the EEU," Hunanyan said.
On December 15, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the EEU is open for states sharing its goals and principles, and that the development of Azerbaijan's dialogue with the EEU in any format would help unblock transportation arteries in the region.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk noted on December 16 in Baku that the status of an observer in the EEU promises more benefits for Azerbaijan in terms of awareness of the organization's activities.
The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization of economic integration that includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Moldova, Uzbekistan and Cuba have observer status. -0-
