EAEU - The Times Of Central Asia

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CIS

Moldova Moves to Leave CIS as Post-Soviet Bloc Loses Another Member

Moldova’s parliament approved, in final reading on April 2, the country’s withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), with 60 deputies voting in favor. President Maia Sandu then promulgated the denunciation decrees, which were published in the Official Journal on April 8 and entered into force, with the Foreign Ministry set to notify the CIS. If Moldova’s withdrawal takes full legal effect after notification and the relevant notice period, eight CIS member states would remain: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The CIS was created immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union as a framework to manage the breakup and maintain post-Soviet cooperation among former republics. Moldova’s denunciation concerns a structure originally formed by 11 former Soviet states, not all 15 Soviet republics. Moldova’s exit further weakens the CIS politically, though the bloc will continue to exist if the remaining member states stay in place. Moldova has already approved the denunciation of the 1991 Agreement on the Establishment of the CIS, the related Protocol, and the 1993 CIS Statute. The Moldovan authorities say the CIS’s core values and principles are no longer being respected, especially the recognition of territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. They cite Russia’s war against Ukraine, acts of aggression against Georgia, and the illegal military presence of Russian troops on Moldovan territory. Chisinau says the move is consistent with Moldova’s European path, while the European Union remains its main economic partner. Economic ties with the Commonwealth have significantly declined: in 2025, CIS countries accounted for 5.9% of Moldova’s exports, while the European Union accounted for 67.5%. Moldova’s final withdrawal from the CIS may not, therefore, come as a surprise to its other members. On January 19, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popșoi announced the start of the process to denounce the three core CIS agreements underpinning Moldova’s membership. “We are already in the process of getting approvals for the denunciation of three agreements with the CIS. They are the agreements that form the basis of our affiliation to the CIS, namely: the CIS Statute, the CIS Founding Agreement, and the Annex to this agreement,” Popșoi said. He added that this would mean Moldova was no longer a CIS member legally, while participation had already been suspended de facto. Moldova set a course toward breaking its remaining ties with its Soviet past after the 2020 presidential elections, when new president, Maia Sandu, announced a path toward EU integration and refused to participate in CIS summits. Moldova has spent the past several years unwinding CIS-linked agreements. As of January 2026, Moldovan officials said the country had signed 283 CIS agreements, of which 71 had already been rescinded, and about 60 more were in process. On December 12, 2025, Moldova’s parliament approved the denunciation of the 1992 Bishkek agreement on visa-free travel for CIS citizens. For Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and several other states, visa-free travel with Moldova remains in place under bilateral agreements. Moldovan authorities said the denunciation of the Bishkek agreement would affect...

Freight Industry

Kazakhstan Proposes Creating a Digital Platform Within the EAEU to Coordinate Freight

Kazakhstan has proposed the creation of a unified digital platform for coordinating cargo flows within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov presented the proposal at a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Shymkent. The proposal involves developing an integrated system based on AI that will improve the efficiency of logistics processes across the union. Currently, the EAEU comprises five countries: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. Moldova, Uzbekistan, Cuba, and Iran hold observer status. According to Bektenov, the creation of a unified AI-based platform will reduce cargo delivery times and lower business costs. “In order to fully realize the transit and transport potential of the Union’s member states, it is proposed to create an integrated platform for coordinating cargo flows based on artificial intelligence,” he noted. Kazakhstan is paying particular attention to the digitization of control procedures. In particular, it is proposed to fully transition veterinary and phytosanitary controls to an electronic format. This involves moving away from paper documents and implementing data exchange mechanisms both within the EAEU and with third countries. Kazakhstan is a regional leader in terms of readiness for AI implementation. Further initiatives include the creation of an artificial intelligence fund and an international computing hub.

Electric Vehicles

Kyrgyzstan Seeks Chinese Cooperation to Develop EV Charging Infrastructure

Kyrgyzstan is seeking to collaborate with Chinese companies to develop electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure as part of efforts to modernize its energy sector and promote sustainable transport. On March 25, Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibrayev visited China, where he held a series of meetings with energy and technology companies involved in EV infrastructure development. During the visit, Ibrayev toured a manufacturing facility operated by ShuiFa Group and signed a memorandum of understanding between the Kyrgyz Ministry of Energy and the company. The agreement involves cooperation in energy infrastructure, including the development of EV charging stations and energy storage systems. Officials said the memorandum represents a step toward modernizing Kyrgyzstan’s energy sector and supporting sustainable transport. Ibrayev also met with representatives of NUCL New Energy Technology (GD) Ltd to discuss potential cooperation on EV charging infrastructure and the introduction of modern technologies. The company expressed readiness to work with Kyrgyz authorities. In addition, talks were held with Zhejiang Anfu New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. regarding the possible supply of equipment and the localization of production in Kyrgyzstan These initiatives align with the government’s broader strategy to promote environmentally friendly transport and reduce air pollution in Bishkek and other major cities. The number of electric vehicles in Kyrgyzstan has been rising steadily. According to First Deputy Prime Minister Daniyar Amangeldiev, more than 200 electric vehicles are imported into the country daily under a value-added tax (VAT) exemption scheme. As a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Kyrgyzstan also benefits from an annual quota allowing the duty-free import of up to 15,000 electric vehicles. Despite this growth, EVs still account for a small share of the country’s total vehicle fleet. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision, Kyrgyzstan had more than 1.9 million registered vehicles as of early 2026, a 13% increase compared with 2024. Of these, 972,000 run on gasoline, 339,000 on diesel, 56,900 on gas, and 37,000 are hybrids. Electric vehicles make up about 0.8% of the total, or approximately 15,200 vehicles.

EAEU

EAEU Trade Frictions Deepen Despite Shymkent Integration Push

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) met in Shymkent on March 26-27 with a long agenda and a familiar promise: deeper integration, smoother trade, and a more modern common market. Kazakhstan, which holds the bloc’s 2026 chairmanship, used the meeting to push artificial intelligence, digital logistics, industrial cooperation, and the removal of internal barriers. Twelve documents were signed, covering areas including industrial cooperation, transport, and digital integration. “Kazakhstan aims to become a fully-fledged digital country. We have built a modern ecosystem, including Astana Hub and the Alem.ai AI center, and are ready to share experience with EAEU partners on digital regulation and economic transformation,” Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov stated. That sounds ambitious, but it also highlights the bloc’s central weakness. The EAEU has no shortage of plans; it has a shortage of trust between its members, and that matters more. The dynamics extend across the bloc, but are most visible in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The EAEU was built to ensure the free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor across Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. But the reality keeps drifting away from the treaty. Kazakhstan’s chairmanship agenda calls for a barrier-free internal market, yet the bloc is entering a new phase of tighter controls, retaliatory measures, and disputes over who really benefits. Shymkent made that contradiction impossible to miss. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov promoted an AI-based system to coordinate cargo flows across the union and speed up transit. He also backed the full electronic handling of veterinary and phytosanitary checks, all of which are practical ideas. Central Asia needs faster, cheaper, and more predictable logistics, but digital tools do not solve a political problem. A system becomes more efficient only if its members want it to be open. When they want leverage instead, technology can only make the controls smarter. [caption id="attachment_46024" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Image: primeminister.kz[/caption] Kazakhstan’s priorities already show where the friction lies. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev opened his chairmanship by calling for digital transformation, better transport links, and the elimination of internal trade barriers. He also pushed a stronger external profile for the EAEU, with wider links across Asia, the Arab world, and the Global South. That is a serious agenda for a bloc trying to present itself as a Eurasian logistics hub. That push for external expansion comes at a time when internal frictions are becoming harder to manage. It sits uneasily beside everyday trade practice inside the union, where growing trade disputes have become part of the EAEU’s normal life, not an exception to it. The clearest recent example is Russia’s SPOT import-control system, which takes effect for road shipments from EAEU countries on April 1. Importers must submit shipment information two days before trucks reach the border and receive a QR code. Moscow has presented the change as a tax-compliance and anti-fraud measure, with additional financial guarantees expected in later phases of its implementation. In practice, it adds cost, time, and uncertainty before goods even reach the border, the opposite of what a customs union...

EAEU

New Russian Trade Controls Add Friction to Central Asian Trade

Russia is tightening trade procedures in ways that could reshape how goods move across Central Asia. The changes are technical, but their impact could be significant. The clearest sign is Russia’s new SPOT import-control system, which takes effect for road shipments from Eurasian Economic Union countries on April 1. Under the new rules, importers must file a document on an expected shipment two days before the truck reaches the border. The Russian authorities will assign a QR code, and from July 1, the system is due to move into full operating mode, including a security payment. Moscow says the measure is designed to improve tax compliance and reduce fraud. In practice, it introduces additional control over trade flows before goods reach the border. For transport companies and exporters, that means higher upfront costs, longer planning cycles, and greater uncertainty over delivery times. Even small delays at the border can disrupt supply chains, particularly for perishable goods. The changes are part of a broader pattern in which Moscow is relying more heavily on administrative controls to manage trade within its closest economic partners, and the timing is notable. Central Asian economies have been expanding trade with China and the European Union, while also seeking alternative transit routes that reduce dependence on Russia. The introduction of tighter Russian controls comes as those efforts gain momentum. Over time, such measures may also push Central Asian businesses to accelerate efforts to diversify trade routes and partners. The system may also create new internal barriers within the EAEU. The requirements for advance documentation and financial guarantees could, in some cases, exceed procedures applied to imports from outside the bloc. That would mark a significant shift for a union that was designed to simplify trade among its members. It also underlines a familiar problem within the EAEU, where commitments to free movement often sit alongside recurring administrative barriers. Similar disputes have surfaced repeatedly over the past decade, particularly in relation to agriculture and food, suggesting that the gap between formal integration and practical trade conditions remains unresolved. Russia dominates the union’s economic geography. According to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics, mutual trade with EAEU countries reached almost $2.16 billion in January 2026, with 15.4% year-on-year growth. Russia accounted for the vast majority of that total. Kazakhstan’s imports from EAEU partners rose significantly faster than its exports; Russia supplied close to one-third of Kazakhstan’s total imports in January. That imbalance leaves Kazakhstan particularly exposed to changes in Russian trade procedures. For Kazakh businesses, that exposure is most visible at border crossings, where delays and extra checks quickly add to costs. Tensions over regulatory controls have also resurfaced. On March 2, Russia suspended certification for high-fat dairy products from all Kazakh suppliers, affecting butter, cream, cheese, and milk powder. Kazakhstan responded with its own measures, strengthening veterinary controls and imposing temporary restrictions on the import and transit of livestock and animal products from several Russian regions because of a worsening disease situation. Even when such steps have a...

import duties

Kyrgyzstan Urges EAEU to Remove Import Duties on Key Goods

Kyrgyzstan has appealed to its partners in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to eliminate import duties on a range of socially significant goods, arguing that the measure would help ease the impact of global inflation and slow domestic price growth, according to an official government statement. The proposal was presented during a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) held in Moscow on March 13. Kyrgyz officials stressed that the country’s economic conditions differ markedly from those of the bloc’s larger member states, making more flexible trade mechanisms necessary. The initiative covers goods considered critical for food security, including flour, vegetable oil, fruits and vegetables, as well as cocoa powder used in the confectionery industry. Authorities in Bishkek believe that removing import duties on these items would lower procurement costs and reduce the transmission of global price increases to the domestic market. “We are seeing rising inflation worldwide, including for the goods we import, particularly agricultural products. In effect, when we import goods at higher prices, we are also importing inflation. Eliminating duties will help reduce the cost of these products,” said Elimbek Kanybek uulu, head of the EAEU Coordination Department, at a press conference in Bishkek. The full list of goods eligible for preferential treatment, along with import volume thresholds, is expected to be published within a month after the EEC formally approves the decision. According to Kanybek uulu, Kyrgyzstan has previously sought similar temporary measures for meat imports. At that time, the suspension of duties contributed to a reduction of around 10% in the price of imported meat. Food security remains a major policy priority. President Sadyr Japarov has said that Kyrgyzstan is currently self-sufficient in six of the nine staple food items included in the national food basket. The government plans to gradually expand domestic production of the remaining products, including flour, vegetable oil, and certain types of fruit. Analysts say future food price dynamics in Kyrgyzstan will depend on both global commodity trends and decisions within the EAEU regarding trade preferences and tariff policy.