"The secretariat of the EurAsEC Integration Committee received on 20 October a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, conveying a letter from President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov with a notification that the Republic of Uzbekistan was suspending its membership in EurAsEC," says an official press release from the EurAsEC on Wednesday 12 November.

"President Islam Karimov’s notification has been sent to the heads of EurAsEC member states," the press release says.

EurAsEC said that Uzbekistan had joined the economic community in January 2006 and undertaken to join the international treaties within the framework of EurAsEC to ensure its full participation in the operation of the community, but "this has not been fully implemented to date".

EurAsEC also said that the treaty on the establishment of the community, dated 10 October 2000, did not provide for unilateral suspension of membership.

"Any party, however, may announce its withdrawal from the organization 12 months in advance, settling its financial and other obligations before the community as well as its members," the press release says.

It says that the meetings of the EurAsEC Interstate Council and its Integration Committee at the level of heads of state and heads of government will examine the issue of quorum at the said bodies without Uzbekistan’s participation.

EurAsEC member states are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.