EAG was granted associate member status within the FATF

The Eurasian group on combating money laundering and financing of terrorism (EAG) was granted associate member status within the FATF as approved of by the FATF Plenary session taking place in Amsterdam (the Netherlands).

Becoming an associate member of the FATF will allow EAG to intensify its cooperation with the FATF and other FSRBs. Now all the EAG member states which are not FATF members will be able to engage in the FATF activities including Plenary meetings, Working groups and mutual evaluations. The FATF members will take part in the EAG work. 
 
The EAG application for the associate membership was fully supported by the FATF member states and international organizations. Thus the FATF has acknowledged the progress made by the EAG in assisting the countries of the region in developing national AML/CFT systems.
 
Due to the EAG efforts the situation has significantly improved in the countries previously identified by the FATF as high-risk jurisdictions (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). Further development of AML/CFT regimes in the Eurasian countries is one of the EAG strategic priorities put forward by the EAG Chairman Mr. Oleg Markov.
 
The progress achieved by the EAG countries so far is a result of contribution of all the member states, in particular, joint FATF/EAG members - China and Russia which hold leading positions within the EAG due to their highly successful experience in implementing the FATF recommendations and the initiative to establish the Eurasian group in 2004.