According to the Russian diplomat, despite the fact that the Republic cannot enjoy the benefits presented to member states, it will have an opportunity to study the activities of the EAEU from the inside without any obligations and risks to the economy.

“Yes, the Republic doesn’t have the right to vote and it doesn’t have trade privileges. But, at the same time, there are no risks to its economy. This is an opportunity to take a closer look and make a choice. Assessing the situation closely, we can see that Uzbekistan’s main trading partners include EAEU states, the most important transport corridors pass through the territory of the union, the direction of migration is important. In any case, this process takes time and it is only the first step,” Vladimir Tyurdenev said.

He also noted that the skeptics’ claims that “independence may be lost in the process of integration into the EAEU” are ridiculous against the background of real indicators.

“None of the countries that joined the union has lost its independence, on the contrary, it has had more opportunities. In addition, it is an equal union for all, regardless of the scale of a particular participant,” the diplomat added.

He said that neither Russia nor other members of the EAEU are interested in the detrimental effects of the integration of new members on the economy and the manufacturing sector. Joining such regional projects is a set of mutual compromises of union members.

“Nevertheless, the EAEU consists not only of Russia but also of several countries with their own economic conditions. For example, it is difficult to compare Kyrgyzstan with Uzbekistan in terms of the economy at the time of joining the EAEU. This means that at this stage, everyone should clearly understand what they will get from such integration so that it will be beneficial for each of the parties,” Tyurdenev concluded.