DUSHANBE, June 21, Asia-Plus  - The Interstate Council of the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) is supposed to hear report on Uzbekistan’s joining the Community at its session that will be held in Minsk on June 23, presidential press service reported.    

Heads of state from countries making up the EAEC will attend this meeting.  18 issues have been tabled to the EAEC summit in Minsk .  The summit is aiming to consider proposals on enhancement of a strategy of development of the organization, a progress of work on making corrections to events on the implementation of the main directions of development of the Community designed for 2003-2006 and further years, according to the source.  Participants at the summit also will discuss a draft concept of international activity of the EAEC, issues of endorsement of the provisions on a procedure of formation and implementation of the organization’s budget, and making changes to a procedure of determination of a rate of money allowance for the Organization Secretary General, officials and employees with the EAEC Integration Committee, etc. 

The summit also will consider issues of making amendments to the EAEC budget for 2006, implementation of the Community budget for 2005 and the EAEC Interstate Council’s budgetary message “On the Budgetary Policy for 2007”. 

            It is supposed that a procedure of Uzbekistan ’s joining the EAEC agreement on visa-free travels will start in July, the source said.

            It is to be noted that insurgency against Uzbek President Islam Karimov in 2000 helped introduce a new chill into Tajik-Uzbek relations.  Uzbekistan imposed a visa regime for Tajik citizens as well as placed landmines along the border with Tajikistan .  Experts hold that Uzbekistan ’s joining the EAEC agreement on visa-free travels will facilitate development of regional cooperation in Central Asia .           

As it had been Uzbekistan became the sixth member of the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) at a summit in St. Petersburg in late January this year.  

The EAEC is one of a number of overlapping regional blocs formed since the dissolution of the Soviet Union .  The Community brings together Belarus , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Russia , Tajikistan and now Uzbekistan .