Iran To Prepare For EAEU Permanent Membership In Course Of 2 Weeks - Parliament Speaker

TEHRAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2021) Iran will implement preliminary measures to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as a permanent member in two weeks, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Wednesday.

The remarks come upon his arrival in Tehran after a 3-day trip to Moscow.

"Iran has started negotiations on permanent membership in the EAEU, and preparatory measures for our permanent membership will be carried out in two weeks," Ghalibaf said as quoted by IRNA news agency.

Andrei Slepnev, the head of the Eurasian Economic Commission, previously said that the commission would start talks with Tehran to reach an agreement on a permanent free trade area in February.

Iran and the EAEU signed a provisional pact to create a free trade area in May 2018. The accord envisages the reduction or removal of import customs duties on a wide range of goods.

The EAEU was established in 2015 to promote regional economic integration in Eurasia. Its members include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Moldova is an observer state. As of today, EAEU has free trade agreements with Singapore, Serbia and Vietnam.