Robert M. Cutler on Energy and Eurasia

CACO Integrates EurAsEc

The Central Asian Co-operation Organization (CACO, comprising Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and since October 2004 Russia) has taken a decision to meld itself into the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEc, which includes also Belarus and has until now excluded Uzbekistan). CACO, established in February 2002, started out in 1994 as the Central Asian Union (KZ+KG+UZ) and changed its name to the Central Asian Economic Community when TJ joined in 1998.

      EurAsEc on the other hand started out as the Group of Four (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia), an attempt to implement a CIS Customs Union, before expanding its membership and changing its name. EurAsEc now includes, as independent states, the nine republics in Gorbachev's 1991 Nine-plus-One Agreement: minus Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine (but of which the last two, with Moldova, have observer status in EurAsEc).