Eurasian Economic Union officially formed
The presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on Thursday to form the Eurasian Economic Union, seen as a rival to the EU. The treaty is set to come into force on January 1, 2015.
“Our meeting today of course has a special and, without exaggeration, an epoch-making significance,” said Russia’s President Vladimir Putin during the signing ceremony in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The three countries created a customs union in 2010. Ukraine’s former President Vikot Yanukovych had opted to join the cooperation.
