OREANDA-NEWS. The European Union (EU) is ready to discuss the terms of a free trade deal with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) after Kazakhstan and Belarus become WTO members, Russia's envoy to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said.

The EEU is a new association currently under development by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which now form the Customs Union (CU). Russia's First Vice Premier Igor Shuvalov informed in late January that during the Russia-EU summit meeting Russia suggested the EU should think about cooperation in European, Eurasian integration processes, so that the parties could make a free trade agreement by 2020.

“The EU did not say 'no'. EU officials say the prospects of establishing a free trade zone should be discussed after Belarus and Kazakhstan have joined the WTO. But then don't you stand in their way and let them join the WTO,” Chizhov said.