As a result of the events of 1991, Nursultan Nazarbayev concluded that integration in the framework of the Union Treaty, the creation of which was thwarted by the August overturn, proved futile. In these circumstances, the President continued to work towards the establishment of a new treaty that would preserve the single economic space.
The head of state had to exert a lot of effort to organize and invite in Alma-Ata the heads of all republics, plus the Committee of the USSR national economy operational management and Inter-Republican Economic Committee.
At the meeting in Almaty on October 1, 1991 the leaders of 13 republics came. Opening the meeting, Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that the heads of sovereign states gathered for the sole purpose - to ensure a mutually beneficial cooperation between the republics in the new conditions, maintaining the old economic ties and creating a single economic space. At the meeting Nazarbayev proposed final version of the draft Treaty on the Economic Community.
Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the USSR national economy operational management Grigory Yavlinsky presented the draft Treaty on the Economic Community. As a result of the Almaty meeting it was able to sign a Treaty of Economic Community.
Following the discussion of the draft Treaty, the governments of the Supreme Soviet of Moscow on October 18, 1991 the heads of the eight republics signed an agreement on economic community. The leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed the document. All hoped that the document would become the core of the new structure of the Union.
"It is finished!" - screamed the headlines.
The agreement consisted of 12 chapters, 59 articles. In the preamble, it was noted that the independent states that are and the former subjects of the USSR, expressing the will of their people to the political and economic sovereignty, willing to establish mutually beneficial economic relations between states, taking into account the problems of transition to a market economy, conscious of the economic benefits of integration conclude the Treaty on the Economic Community.
Ukraine promised to connect to the Treaty later. The newspapers repeated appeals of the neighboring republics to Ukraine leadership, to support integration projects. But by mid-November between Gorbachev and the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, Boris Yeltsin and Leonid Kravchuk, controversy only grew. As a result, Ukraine fell from a single integration process. This led to a total paralysis of economic relations of the Republic and of the Economic Community Treaty remained unrealized.
Nursultan Nazarbayev never stopped in the middle, was not afraid of difficulties. Step by step, he paved the way for economic integration. On this road between Commonwealth members were agreements and disagreements, hundreds of projects and contracts.
Now, after 25 years of independence, integration initiatives of the President give their fruit. The Eurasian Economic Union is formed and operates, and also a number of other international integration organizations.
In 2016, the Republic of Kazakhstan is chairing the Supreme Eurasian Economic and Eurasian Intergovernmental Council and the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission.
Nursultan Nazarbayev suggested to declare 2016 the Year of the deepening of the Union economic relations with third countries and key integration associations.
"Eurasian Economic Union, we see an open economic community, organically integrated into the global economic system as a reliable bridge between Europe and growing Asia" - said the head of the state.
By Arman SULEIMENOV
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