DUSHANBE, August 16, Asia-Plus -- Senior politicians from member nations of the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) as well as Armenia and Moldova gathered in the Russian resort city of Sochi Tuesday for an informal summit of the Community seeking to promote economic and trade ties.

The heads of states of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Belarus arrived in Sochi to discuss a common energy market and customs union as part of the EAEC.  Ukraine''s new prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych, attends the summit as part of his first foreign trip in this capacity.

The agenda includes the formation of a customs union within the Community, and strategy and tactics for the community''s progress are also being discussed in this context, according to information from presidential press service.  

Participants at the summit are discussing formation of the common energy market as part of a Russian initiative to set up international centers offering nuclear fuel services announced by President Vladimir Putin at the EAEC summit in St. Petersburg in January this year.   

Leaders of the EAEC states are also supposed to discuss issues related to formation of a common energy market of the Community as well as water-energy regulation in Central Asia and the creation of the Eurasian water-energy consortium.  The presidents also will exchange views on the EAEC member nations’ joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other topical issues related to enhancement of the Community’s activity. 

The leaders also will discuss the preparation of documents establishing the legal basis for Uzbekistan''s accession to EAEC.  The five members of EAEC, set up in 2000, agreed in January to admit Uzbekistan to the organization, which also includes Moldova, Armenia and Ukraine as observers.

            The EAEC members are Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.   

The source in the president’s executive office says Rahmonov is also scheduled to hold a number of bilateral meetings with leaders of other member nations of the Community on the sidelines of the summit.  

The EAEC leaders are also supposed to visit Tajikistan’s three-day agricultural exhibition is opening in Sochi today.  According to information from the Ministry of Agriculture, Tajikistan have put more than 700 tons of its agricultural output, including fruits, vegetables, honey, as well as melons and gourds, on display in the fair in Sochi.  The fair staged by the Ministry of Agriculture, “Khurokvori” State Unitary Enterprise, the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) and “Tojik Matlubot” (Tajik Consumer’s Union) under financial support of the governments of Tajikistan and the Russian region of Krasnodar runs through August 18.