9 December 2014, 05:51 GMT
MOSCOW, December 23 (Sputnik) – Kyrgyzstan signed a deal to join the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"The treaty on Kyrgyzstan's accession has just been signed. We are convinced that the membership of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan in the Eurasian Economic Union corresponds with core national interests of these countries," the Russian leader said.
The Eurasian Economic Union guarantees the free flow of goods, services, capital and labor among member-states. It currently comprises Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan and is expected to go into effect on January 1, 2015.
On Monday, Kremlin presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed Russia's two-year $200-million grant for Kyrgyzstan to implement its accession into Eurasian cooperation projects.
