The major Eurasian Economic
Union (EAEU) forum has brought together more than two thousand participants.
The 4th International
Forum Eurasian Week programme kicked off with a plenary session devoted to the
challenges Eurasia faces and the outlook for its strategic development. Kyrgyz
Prime Minister Muhammedkalyi Abylgaziev spoke at the opening event, sharing his
view that the EAEU was a unique interstate organization quickly turning into a key
global economic player. A market with more than 180,000,000 inhabitants and
covering an area of 20,000,000 square kilometres, it is becoming more
attractive to the world’s biggest countries, who are seeking to establish
partnerships with it.
«One
example is sufficient: foreign trade with the Union continues to grow and as of
2018 had reached USD 491 billion, for a growth of 200 billion when compared to
2016. Our foreign trade turnover in Kyrgyzstan grew by USD 1.6 billion, which,
for a compact economy like ours, is a very good indicator. And there is growth
in the countries of our partners as well», Abylgaziev said.
Chairman of
the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Tigran Sargsyan moderated
the discussion. Speakers included President of the All-Russian Association of
Fisheries Enterprises, Entrepreneurs, and Exporters (WARPE) German Zverev,
Deputy CEO for Relations with Business
Associations, Unions and Alliances at Severstal PJSC Pavel Isaev, CEO of Ecoproduct
Asia LLC Dastan Omuraliev, Vice President for Government Relations and
Corporate Affairs Eastern Europe at Baltika Aleksey Kedrin, and Vice President of Corporate Affairs at PepsiCo
Sergey Glushkov among others. The
discussion was also attended by the heads of governmental economic blocs and
representatives of large business structures and industry associations from
EAEU member countries.
Sargsyan noted that EAEU manufacturers face growing
competition with other countries and interstate associations when accessing
foreign markets along with a fundamentally new technological structure, which Union
countries can become a part of only by working together.
«We’ve been presented with an
historic opportunity to create our own digital agenda, to understand what our
advantages are, and to turn the Eurasian Union into a global player. No country
can resolve this issue on its own; we won’t be competitive. Major trans-national
corporations already have an advantage, since they possess huge databases capable
of locating the best and fastest solutions, and as a result they are able to provide
their services at the lowest possible prices. At present we are implementing
projects that will make it possible for us to participate in this battle», Sargsyan said.
Discussion
participants spoke about the effectiveness of measures that had already been
implemented and were aimed at developing economic ties within the Union,
including the abolition of customs duties within the EAEU. Furthermore, the
creation of a common services market, which as of this day existed in 49
sectors, had been especially successful.
«A single service market within the Eurasian Economic Union significantly
increases the competitiveness of goods and services produced in member states. Its development will serve as an additional
impetus for increasing economic activity and the investment attractiveness of
participating countries. Integration into the EAEU has opened up many
opportunities for our country in relation to the movement of goods, services,
and labour. Participation in the Union has also forced us to work to raise production
quality standards, to create a modern laboratory infrastructure, and to
modernize checkpoints at external borders», Kyrgyz Vice Prime Minister Zhenish Razakov said.
At the same
time, business communities within the EAEU are currently experiencing a real need
to deepen integration processes and to continue work on the creation of a
single economic space. Event participants discussed existing mechanisms for the
creation of an environment of this kind and outlined a number of additional
opportunities to increase the competitiveness of production within Union
countries.
«As regards integration, we, as a business community, expect that
additional mechanisms will be found to overcome barriers and more quickly
respond to obstacles that arise at checkpoints, etc.. A
five-way working group must be created and entrusted with the appropriate
authority. We believe that it is very important to ensure the protection of
fair competition in a shared market. We must not tolerate non-compliance
with technical regulations and standards and must conduct a consistent and concerted
fight against counterfeit goods. We are ready to participate in these
activities not just as outside observers but in relation to ourselves. It is
our hope that all of this will further integration», Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Atameken
National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yevgeniy
Bolgert said.
Participants outlined the Union agenda on economic aspects for the immediate
future. Priority areas of activity include the digitalization of logistics, the
removal of bureaucratic barriers, and the expansion of the powers of
supranational bodies.
