Serbia set to sign a free-trade pact with EAEU in October: Russian envoy![]() August 21, 2019 - 12:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia’s ambassador to Serbia, Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko, says Belgrade is expected to sign a free-trade pact with the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) on October 25. “This is a significant event. The media are paying due attention to it,” Botsan-Kharchenko said in a tweet on August 20. He said Serbia’s deal with the trade zone will signify its “completely new stage of presence in Eurasia [by] entering a market with a capacity of over 182 million consumers and the combined gross domestic product of more than $1.9 trillion.” Established in 2015, the EAEU comprises Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan as members. A longtime ally of Moscow based on religious and cultural bonds, Serbia also is pursuing membership in the European Union and good relations with the United States. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York on August 20. Pompeo “encouraged Serbia to focus on its strategic goal [of integration into the EU] by accelerating domestic reforms and resuming negotiations with Kosovo” based on “mutual recognition,” U.S. State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus said. Photo. BelTA ![]() ![]() Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert. On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. ![]() ![]() Partner news | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |