Supreme Eurasian Economic Council's Summit

On the heels of Putin’s signing the Executive Order on the National Development Goals of the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2030 and for the Future until 2036 that was provided in the previous article and just before Russia’s most major holiday celebration—Victory Day—we have the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council Summit in Moscow by previous agreement despite Armenia being this year’s Council President. Given all his recent mischief, Armenia’s Pashinyan was quite subdued and stuck to performing his duties. The above photo shows the extended format which is all public and follows the restricted format meeting where the cameras are present for a moment then the doors are closed behind them as they depart. Observer nations only attend the extended format. The restricted format transcript will be first:

Vladimir Putin: Dear colleagues,

I am glad to welcome you all to the summit dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty establishing the Eurasian Economic Union.

We have already agreed that we will hold this anniversary summit in Moscow. This is the most important legal document – I'm talking about the Treaty – on the basis of which the entire process of Eurasian integration is built.

It sets out these basic positions as a key task – the creation of a single market with free movement of goods, services, capital and labor within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Community – and also sets out such fundamental principles of integration interaction as equality, mutual benefit, respect and consideration of each other's interests.

We note with satisfaction that over the past decade our association has established itself as one of the independent and self-sufficient centers of the emerging multipolar world.

Today, the Eurasian Union is an effective and dynamic integration structure, which contributes to the growth of trade and investment exchanges, activation of business contacts, expansion of cooperation ties, which ultimately brings real benefits to each of the participants of our association.

Just before we entered the hall, we discussed this with our colleagues and stated that our economies are developing very well.

In fact, it helps to ensure stable and sustainable economic development of both the five countries and the Eurasian region as a whole, and leads to an improvement in the quality of life and well-being of our citizens.

Economic indicators speak for themselves: in 10 years, the total GDP of the Eurasian Union states, according to available estimates, increased from 1.6 to 2.5 trillion dollars. Trade with third countries increased by 60 percent, from $ 579 billion to $ 923 billion, and the volume of mutual trade almost doubled, from $ 45 billion to $ 89 billion, with more than 90 percent of payments already being made in national currencies. It is characteristic that the positive macroeconomic dynamics continue in the current year. This is exactly what we talked about with our colleagues before entering the hall.

I would like to emphasize that Russia highly values mutually beneficial multi-faceted relations with its partners in the Eurasian Economic Community, and we sincerely strive for further joint work on the comprehensive development and strengthening of our integration association. I am sure that all the colleagues present share this attitude.

It is important that today's summit will be not just an anniversary, but also a working, truly businesslike one. We will review a number of new decisions prepared for our approval, which are of a strategic nature and are aimed at deepening our cooperation in various areas.

And, as we agreed with Nikol Vladimirovich, I am pleased to give the floor to the Prime Minister of Armenia, who, as the acting Chairman of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, will lead our meeting.

Nikol Vladimirovich, please.

Pashinyan: Dear members of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, Dear participants of the meeting,

I welcome you all to the first meeting of the Supreme Economic Council this year. First of all, I would like to thank the Russian side for the warm welcome and excellent organization of the events.

Dear colleagues, I suggest that we immediately start discussing the issues on the agenda and thank the representatives of the mass media for their work.

Thank you very much. [My Emphasis]

And now we get to read the externed format’s transcript:

Vladimir Putin: Dear colleagues,

We agreed that I would start as the host.

I would like to inform everyone who has joined our work that we have just held a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in a narrow format, exchanged views on topical issues of our association's activities, and made decisions on further deepening integration cooperation.

I would like to welcome the heads of the Eurasec observer States who have joined the expanded meeting: the distinguished Presidents of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Cuba, Miguel Diaz – Canel Bermudez.

Our meeting today is timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union. This is indeed a fundamental document, guided by which the member countries of the association have jointly done a large-scale work to deepen Eurasian integration, build a common market and form a unique supranational system of economic regulation.

Due to the elimination of many trade and administrative barriers, a high degree of freedom of movement of goods is ensured. The five countries have adopted common technical, sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary norms and standards.

The Eurasian Union has shown its effectiveness in the face of new challenges, including those related to the policy of sanctions implemented by some countries and the dismantling of many basic foundations of international trade.

We are constantly fine-tuning the institutions and mechanisms of the Eurasian Economic Community, which allows us to adapt to changes and develop dynamically, despite the crisis phenomena in the global economy.

Tangible results were achieved in creating a favorable investment climate in the Eurasec area. This was facilitated by joint decisions to protect investments, support businesses and guarantee the rights of entrepreneurs.

Much has been done and continues to be done to promote industrial cooperation, import substitution and strengthen the technological sovereignty of the association's member States. In particular, last year, at the initiative of the Russian presidency, a mechanism for budget financing of knowledge-intensive projects implemented by enterprises from the Eurasec countries was launched.

Much attention in the Eurasian Union is always paid to food security and the development of the agro-industrial complex of our states. Together, we managed to successfully solve the problem of independent, uninterrupted supply of food products and vital agricultural products to the domestic market.

From year to year, the partnership between the countries of the association in the field of transport and logistics is expanding, the volume of mutual cargo transportation is growing at a good pace, which was significantly helped by the additional arrangement and increase in the capacity of border crossings between our states.

I would like to note the well-coordinated cooperation of the Eurasec participants in building a unified transport system. The project of the largest international North – South corridor, which will provide direct access of our countries ' products to ports on the coast of the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, has entered an active phase.

It is important that we use the most modern technical means to implement transport and infrastructure projects within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Community. High-tech navigation seals are used to track, control and secure cargo transportation, and electronic shipping documents and other digital solutions are widely implemented.

In general, digitalization has become one of the priorities of the integration agenda. Within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Community, a unified information system accumulating information on foreign economic activity is being successfully developed. Unified standards for the exchange of electronic data have been developed and applied, and there are consistent rules for digital commerce. Mutual recognition of electronic signatures used in the Eurasec countries would help improve the efficiency of the common market and make business processes even faster and more convenient for entrepreneurs and consumers.

Cooperation on environmental protection and combating climate change is a new and very promising area. At the expert level, the development of common approaches to solving urgent problems in this area has begun.

Dear colleagues!

As has been emphasized many times, the Eurasian Economic Union and all our integration activities are attracting the attention of an increasing number of international players. Many foreign countries and major regional organizations, such as the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, are interested in developing ties with our association.

The circle of preferential foreign trade partners of the Eurasian Economic Community is also being systematically expanded. The trade agreement with the People's Republic of China is being effectively implemented. The work on linking integration processes through the Eurasian Union and China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative brings real benefits.

Agreements on trade liberalization are also in force with Serbia, Iran, and Vietnam. Agreements with countries with great economic potential, such as Egypt, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates, are currently being prepared.

A draft decision has been prepared for today's meeting to start negotiations on concluding a temporary trade agreement with Mongolia, with which the Eurasec countries have close good-neighborly relations and intensive trade and economic contacts.

We will also have to approve a number of other important decisions, which means that this anniversary meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council is not only a summing up of the results of joint work over the past decade, but also another concrete step towards deepening integration.

Let me remind you that in December last year in St. Petersburg, we defined the prospects for the development of our association until 2030 and for the period up to 2045, and adopted a corresponding declaration, which is now supported by meaningful, practical agreements.

In conclusion, I would like to once again thank all the participants of this meeting for their close cooperation and mutual support. I am confident that by continuing to work together and in harmony, we will achieve new significant results in the development of the Eurasian Union and all our states.

Let me give the floor to Prime Minister Nikol Vovaevich Pashinyan, who will lead our meeting as Chairman of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council this year.

Thank you very much.

Dear Heads of Delegation, Dear participants of the meeting,

I am glad to welcome you to the first meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council this year. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Russian side for organizing today's high-level meeting. I am also pleased to welcome the heads of the EAEU observer States and invited guests.

As we have already noted during the narrow-format discussion, today's meeting is timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the signing of the EAEU Treaty in Astana on May 29, 2014. Over the 10 years of its existence, the Eurasian Economic Union has become an important platform for close economic cooperation between its member states.

It is clear that the regulatory framework of the EAEU continues to be formed and this process is far from complete. It is important that it is formed within the framework of economic logic. Only on the basis of respect for the interests of partner countries and the search for constructive solutions that meet the interests of each member state will we be able to maintain the effective functioning of the EAEU.

We consider it necessary to focus our efforts on taking into account the national priorities of socio-economic development. Our cooperation should work in the interests of citizens and businesses of our countries, contribute to improving their well-being and modernizing national economies.

Dear participants of the meeting, Dear colleagues!

Returning directly to the issues on the agenda, I cannot but point out that the process of forming a common market with unified regulatory systems in the field of energy resources has been significantly delayed. The Armenian side understands the possible revision of the deadlines for the implementation of outstanding measures but believes that this process cannot last indefinitely and should be implemented within a reasonable time frame. We have repeatedly noted that the Republic of Armenia is ready for a constructive dialogue aimed at reaching a consensus on unresolved issues as soon as possible and ensuring the timely functioning of the common electricity market of the EAEU.

We attach particular importance to creating a legal framework that ensures the trade and economic interests of entrepreneurs of the member States in world trade. In this context, we consider it important to sign the protocol on electronic information exchange between the EAEU member States and Vietnam, which will increase the volume of mutual trade between the partner countries.

The Armenian side also supports the adoption of a package of documents providing for the start of negotiations with one of our partners in Asia – Mongolia. Of course, the signing of the interim trade agreement will provide new opportunities for expanding trade and economic cooperation.

Dear colleagues!

The development of transport infrastructures will give an additional impetus to the growth of trade turnover between our countries. In this context, I would like to mention once again the "Crossroads of the World" project initiated by the Government of the Republic of Armenia, which aims to create the necessary logistical conditions for the development of trade and economic ties between all interested states based on full respect for the sovereignty, jurisdictions of states, parity and reciprocity.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the Armenian side consistently supports compliance with the fundamental principles laid down in the EAEU Treaty and expresses its readiness to actively cooperate with all member states in the interests of further developing the chosen paradigm of economic cooperation.

Thank you for your attention.

I would like to give the floor to President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko. Please, Alexander Grigoryevich.

Alexander : Dear colleagues, participants of our meeting,

Today we have gathered to sum up the results of the development of the Eurasian Economic Union over 10 years and determine the format of integration for the future.

Even by the strictest account, we can say that the first 10 years were passed quite successfully, and we have almost reached the final stage of implementing the Strategy-2025. The measures we have taken have objectively contributed to an increase in mutual trade between the member states of the Union: by the end of 2023, its growth rate was almost 105 percent, in absolute terms-about $ 90 billion, the growth rate. And this is despite the continuing difficult situation on the world markets.

But most importantly, we learned to hear each other better. Neither GDP growth nor an increase in real incomes of the population would be possible if we were separate, and not everyone alone would be able to maintain their sovereignty. Of course, a lot has been done, although there are no fewer issues and challenges in the integration process. To illustrate this point, I will give just a few eloquent examples.

First. Last year, fundamental decisions were made to provide financial support to industrial cooperation. Despite this, there is no serious business activity yet. At the same time, I would like to note once again that working under sanctions pressure requires immediate decisions, quick decisions. Most of the leaders of the participating countries make such decisions promptly, but they are not always implemented quickly. I would like to draw everyone's attention to the fact that such slowness has a real impact on the financial performance of our enterprises and leads to tougher competition from third countries.

Taking into account the introduction of a new mechanism of financial support for industrial cooperation, I would like to ask the commissions to engage proactively in this work and organize cooperation both in the context of industries, and with the involvement of business associations and associations of the member states of our Union. Considerable funds have been allocated for subsidizing projects, and they need to be used very effectively in a targeted way. Our Governments and commissions are also responsible for this.

The second is unhindered access to public procurement. Their volume in our countries is almost $ 200 billion, public procurement. In fact, states, as buyers of goods, works, and services, fully control this market, as well as determine procurement policies and acquisition channels. If we really manage, then let's ensure mutual access, at least where the products produced in the EAEU can become an effective source of meeting state needs.

However, national protectionism still persists in this area. In reality, the market is protected not from imports from outside, from third countries, which account for almost two-thirds of purchases in our Union, but from goods and services produced in the countries of our Union. In other words, we protect each of our markets from our partners. I am convinced that the issue of mutual participation in public procurement needs to be resolved immediately, because it is closely linked to import substitution and technological sovereignty. And by and large, this is our security and this is our independence.

The third is digitalization. We need to focus on the earliest possible recognition of an electronic digital signature. We've been talking about this for years. All fundamental agreements were reached long ago, but the WHO is still there. This is not a political issue, but a technical one, but it often becomes an insurmountable barrier to the participation of Eurasian businesses in the economic processes of the Union countries. I consider it necessary to complete this work as soon as possible. I emphasize once again: this is a technical question.

The fourth is technical regulation. This direction is closely related to the previous question. Work on the technical solution is at the final stage, it remains only to transfer technical regulation to the same digital format. I am sure that no one in this hall needs to be convinced that the digitalization of technical regulation will provide our industry with additional opportunities for development, simplify information acquisition and certification and standardization processes, and simplify them.

Fifth – the transportation services that the Chairman just mentioned. Here I would like to note the overall well-coordinated work both at the national and supranational levels. We managed to find solutions on alternative routes for the supply of goods, agree, even temporarily, on the implementation of interception, transshipment, and agree on new conditions for border crossing. Nevertheless, the commission needs to establish a permanent channel of information exchange with the SCO countries, primarily with China. This is necessary for more accurate management of cargo flows and organization of efficient operation of border crossings.

Sixth – food security.

In this area, I consider it necessary to improve the work on the unification of requirements related to the circulation of agricultural products, and actively introduce innovative approaches in the agro-industrial complex.

At the same time, it is extremely important for us to meet the needs of our Union in food of our own production, and we can do this. To do this, we need our farmers to have their own high-quality seed material.

The seventh is the international positioning of the EAEU.

Our geopolitical opponents are trying to isolate us from advanced technologies and premium markets, to restrain our development, but despite this, we are steadily moving forward.

A full-fledged trade agreement has been signed with Iran, and mutually beneficial cooperation in the "five" format is being strengthened with promising friendly countries: Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and Mongolia. By the way, today we will launch negotiations on an interim trade agreement with Ulaanbaatar.

However, the work on establishing partnership relations with third countries, in our opinion, needs to be systematized. Given the current geo-economic realities, we need to clearly understand with which countries, in what order, and in what time frame a free trade zone will be formed, and with which potential partners we will limit our interaction within the framework of memoranda. So far, little attention has been paid to the Union-level dialogue with the African continent. Africa needs a wide range of our products, works, services and technologies. Africa, like Latin America, has already had enough of colonialism from the respective leading countries. And this is the moment when we have to come to Africa.

The parallel participation of the EAEU countries, as well as our partners in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the SCO and BRICS, also offers us huge advantages. But we should not forget about our closest neighbors, friends, and brothers. Interaction with state observers in the EAEU and CIS countries should be in the area of constant and close attention.

Dear colleagues!

We have come to the 10th anniversary of the EAEU with certain achievements. Our Union is still quite young, but a lot of effort, energy and resources have already been invested in its development. We are responsible for ensuring that it continues to develop for the benefit of our peoples and in fact becomes a real pole of economic attraction in the modern world. I am absolutely convinced that we can do this.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of you on the occasion of another anniversary of the heroic victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, and to wish all of us peace, prosperity and prosperity to our countries.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, your assistants and colleagues for the warm welcome, the high level of organization of our event, and you as the new President-elect of the Russian Federation. This is your first major international meeting, and we will certainly not let you down in this regard. Thank you very much. Russia's active and consistent efforts to develop and strengthen our partnership are now more important than ever.

Thank you for your attention.

Nikol Pashinyan: Thank you, Alexander Grigoryevich.

I now give the floor to President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. You are welcome.

K.-Zh.Tokayev: Dear colleagues,

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, for the excellent organization of the anniversary summit and the warm welcome.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate you, Mr President, on your official assumption of the post of President of the Russian Federation.

Ten years ago, a historic Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union was signed in Astana. In a relatively short period of time, our Union has transformed into an important and promising integration association in the international space. Together, more than a thousand different regulatory documents were adopted.

The correctness of the chosen vector of development of our association is confirmed by the macroeconomic results of the decade. Thus, the trade turnover of Kazakhstan with the member countries of the Union increased 1.7 times, reaching $ 28.5 billion, and exports more than doubled.

Cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union contributes to the progressive development of Kazakhstan's economy. Last year alone, the country's gross domestic product grew by 5.1 percent. We think this is a good result. A high level of integration interaction is supported by the joint implementation of major infrastructure projects, the development of industrial cooperation and the formation of a common market for services. For further sustainable development in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, our association must become more flexible and efficient.

The World Bank estimates that global gross domestic product growth in the first half of this decade may be the slowest in 30 years. If the international community does not make an effective decision, this period may go down in history as a decade of missed opportunities. Undoubtedly, this is a big challenge for the Eurasian Economic Union, which is an integral part of the global economy. We will have to use all our reserves and solve the tasks set during the creation of the Union.

First of all, we are talking about the full implementation of the fundamental principle of the Economic Union – freedom of movement of goods. We need to create a truly unified and systematically functioning barrier-free domestic market. It is important to completely eliminate the practice of applying hidden restrictions, so-called point solutions and any manual control. I believe that this should be an absolute priority of the work of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Another equally important task is the restructuring of foreign trade. It is obvious that our association has huge opportunities to expand its niche in the global market. I propose to instruct the Eurasian Economic Commission to work out systematic solutions to strengthen the Union's external potential. It is necessary to create appropriate conditions for more active access of Eurasian products to foreign markets. It is extremely important to ensure unhindered transit of goods to third countries.

Against the background of the transformation of the world economy, the expansion of the network of free trade agreements with third countries is of particular importance for the Eurasian Economic Union. This will make it possible to simplify the access of our exporters to new markets and integrate them into regional and global production chains. Kazakhstan certainly welcomes the decision to start negotiations with Mongolia on concluding an interim trade agreement.

There are great prospects for cooperation with rapidly developing countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Cooperation with the Global South is of particular interest, given the expected contribution of Asia alone to current global gross domestic product growth of 60 percent. In order to enter the markets of the Persian Gulf, Kazakhstan is already doing this, we invite the states the member states of the Economic Union to join the Ashgabat Agreement on the creation of an international transport corridor.

The basic condition for establishing long-term integration remains the presence of a stable transport connectivity system with external markets. We have already formed a solid foundation. Today, the Eurasian transport framework provides an effective trade link between Europe and Asia, North and South.

However, in the next decade, the deterioration of infrastructure in the Eurasian region will become more noticeable, and the need for its renewal will only grow, so the priority issue is the modernization and expansion of transport and logistics infrastructure. No wonder they say that where the rails are laid, the path to new opportunities opens up. Therefore, we in Kazakhstan plan to repair 11 thousand and build more than 5 thousand kilometers of new railways by 2030.

As part of the "One Belt, One Road" global initiative, a Kazakh terminal has been built in the Chinese city of Xi'an, which generates up to 40 percent of the volume of container traffic on the China – Europe route. There are also plans to launch five cross-border transport and logistics hubs on the borders with Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and the Caspian Sea.

In addition, a large-scale modernization of international automobile checkpoints has begun along the entire perimeter of the country. These integrated infrastructure solutions, in our opinion, will contribute to further linking and expanding the capabilities of Eurasian transport arteries.

Kazakhstan's railway industry will receive a new impetus to development through the creation of a unified digital ecosystem. We plan to use artificial intelligence elements in railway transportation next year. The use of advanced technologies will significantly increase the efficiency of transportation and optimize costs, including for our partners. It is important to create so-called "seamless" logistics by harmonizing tariff policies and customs procedures, as well as creating a single Eurasian digital corridor. As a practical measure, we propose to start implementing a mechanism for remote verification of all shipping documents using QR codes and mutual recognition of digital documents.

The next priority task for increasing the competitiveness of the Union and entering new markets is to deepen industrial cooperation. Today, about 90 percent of the Eurasian five's exports are made up of intermediate goods. Meanwhile, in the context of global technological progress, the issue of increasing the complexity of manufactured products is acute, so it is necessary to strengthen technological integration in the real sector of the economy.

As you know, starting from this year, financial assistance will be provided to industrial cooperation projects at the expense of the budget of the Eurasian Economic Union. It is also important to provide support to high-tech enterprises that establish the production of high-value goods.

Naturally, an important task is to create a transparent mechanism for ensuring equal access to finance. For its part, Kazakhstan will continue its consistent policy aimed at developing industrial cooperation in the Eurasian space. To date, more than 150 industrial projects are being worked out with the member countries of the Union.

We see great prospects for cooperation in the petrochemical industry, which can become a new point of economic growth. With the participation of Russian partners, we are building high-tech plants for the production of polypropylene, polyethylene and butadiene. Production of products of the third processing stage will be set up, which will exceed the cost of raw materials by 20 times.

Another important area is strengthening food security. Everyone knows that the Eurasian region has one of the highest production, resource and export potentials in the world. With a growing global population and limited resources in other macro-regions, we are able to provide food for about 600 million people. At the same time, the Union's role in ensuring global food security will only increase. Our strategic vision is to transform the agro-industrial complex into a high-tech industry. To do this, it is extremely important to take coordinated measures to introduce breakthrough innovative technologies based on artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnologies and agricultural science.

Today, successful digital transformation is becoming a determining factor of economic progress and technological sovereignty not only of individual countries, but also of entire regions. It is important for us to take our rightful place, to be at the forefront of the digital race on a global level.

Cooperation in the field of digitalization should become a driving force for the sustainable development of the integration association, so Kazakhstan supports the initiative of the Eurasian Economic Commission to develop the four freedoms of the Union in the context of widespread digitalization. In turn, we are creating one of the fastest growing digital economies in our part of the world, and of course, we pay special attention to artificial intelligence.

Dear participants of the meeting,

In just 10 years of the Eurasian Economic Union's existence, we have achieved impressive results in all areas. But given the huge potential of our association, we still have more to do. Therefore, Kazakhstan will support economic integration based on the principles of equality and mutually beneficial partnership.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone on the upcoming Great Victory Day.

Thanks for attention.

Nikol Pashinyan: Thank you, Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich.

I now give the floor to President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov. Please, Sadyr Nurgozhoyevich.

Sergey Zhaparov: Dear Nikol Vovaevich, Dear Heads of State, Dear participants of the meeting,

Let me cordially welcome all participants of the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, which is being held on the eve of our common holiday-the 79th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

In this regard, I would like to congratulate our citizens on the Victory Day, which was given to us by our fathers and grandfathers who bravely fought at the front, our mothers who selflessly worked in the rear and fought at the front on an equal basis with men. We cherish their heroic deeds in the name of a peaceful and happy life in our hearts.

Taking this pleasant opportunity, Mr President, on behalf of the people of Kyrgyzstan and on my own behalf, I would like to cordially congratulate you on your official assumption of the post of President of the Russian Federation. Your convincing victory in the last presidential election is a clear indication of the high recognition and support of the Russian people for your wise policy and dedicated work to strengthen state sovereignty, improve the welfare of the population, and conduct an independent, independent and open foreign policy of the Russian state.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to our Russian friends for their traditional hospitality and high organization of today's meeting.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish Mr. Nikol Vovaevich, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, a successful year of the Presidency and congratulate all my colleagues on the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union of March 29, 2014.

Dear colleagues!

For 10 years of its existence, the Eurasian Economic Union has emerged as one of the key regional associations capable of supporting and developing economic integration for the sake of stability of the economies of the member states and the growth of the welfare of their citizens. Many people will agree with me: being in the same union, we were able to maintain macroeconomic stability, ensure food and energy security in the region, reduce unemployment, maintain steady production growth and enter new sales markets. This is confirmed by statistical data.

The Union's economy showed strong growth last year. At the end of 2023, gross domestic product grew by 3.8 percent, while industrial production increased by 3.7 percent. Construction work was completed with an increase of 8.6 percent, retail trade turnover increased by 6.6 percent, and investment in fixed assets in our countries increased by 10.3 percent.

The GDP of the Kyrgyz Republic grew by 6.2 percent last year, surpassed the historical milestone, amounting to almost 1.3 trillion soms, and by the end of the first quarter of this year, GDP growth was 8.8 percent.

The Kyrgyz Republic is experiencing a positive effect of integration and increased foreign trade. Since joining the Union and until 2023, the foreign trade turnover of the Kyrgyz Republic has grown from $ 5.6 billion to $ 15.7 billion, an increase of 2.8 times. At the same time, export volumes increased 2.2 times, while imports increased 2.9 times.

Further development of the Eurasian economic integration, including the creation of a single market for goods and services without barriers and exemptions, common energy markets, and ensuring the freedom of movement of labor resources, have undoubtedly been and remain priorities for the Kyrgyz Republic. We intend to continue to work actively to strengthen equal, mutually beneficial and friendly relations between the member States of the Union.

Dear colleagues!

Mutual trade between the member States continues to develop actively. During the years of the Kyrgyz Republic's participation in the Union, mutual trade with member states increased by 76 percent – from $ 2.5 billion to $ 4.4 billion. The Kyrgyz Republic's exports to the EAEU countries tripled-from $ 410 billion to $ 1.23 billion, while the volume of imports increased by more than 50 percent – from $ 2 billion to $ 3 billion.

I would like to note that the entire business is set for further integration. It has not only adapted to the new conditions, but also makes a significant contribution to the integration agenda, to the development and maintenance of economic activity between our countries and in the external circuit.

The volume of exports of the Kyrgyz Republic to the EAEU countries remains high: excluding gold exports, 80 percent of our exports go to the EAEU countries. At the same time, the volume of goods with higher added value, such as textiles, clothing, footwear, plastic and stone products, is growing in the structure of exports of the Kyrgyz Republic. Along with this, I would like to note that the mutual trade of the Kyrgyz Republic in cooperative goods with the EAEU countries also tends to grow, and in the first nine months of 2023 it increased by 34.8 percent. I believe that these indicators are a visible reflection of the progressive development of cooperation and the deepening of integration ties between our states.

Dear friends, the situation in the international arena remains difficult, and we continue to be in the process of a large-scale transformation caused by external unfavorable factors. Against the background of serious deviations in the functioning of the global trading system, economic activity is shifting from West to East, from North to South. In this regard, there is a need to build the necessary financial, logistics and commodity distribution infrastructure that meets modern requirements. This undoubtedly requires significant investment and innovative approaches, and most importantly, joint and coordinated actions in the search for alternative supply chains. In this sense, I would like to emphasize the special importance of linking the EAEU and China's Belt and Road initiative. The Kyrgyz Republic is also making great efforts to improve the transport connectivity of the member States, taking into account, inter alia, the development of the North-South transport corridor.

Project work on the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is in an active phase. Agreements were reached on opening new checkpoints and expanding the capacity of existing ones with the People's Republic of China. In addition, all 14 checkpoints of the Kyrgyz Republic on the customs border of the Union are fully equipped and equipped with material and technical equipment. The obligations of the Kyrgyz Republic taken upon joining the EAEU have been fulfilled in full.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Russian side and personally to the President of the Russian Federation, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, for the material and technical assistance provided. Coordination of the efforts of the heads of Member States to jointly develop transport, logistics and digital infrastructure on international transport corridors is becoming a significant integration resource.

We need to strengthen our work within the Union and with third countries to remove infrastructure restrictions, legislative barriers, and synchronize the work of regulatory authorities in order to ensure fast transportation through digital platforms. In this regard, I call on the parties and the Commission to actively work on the introduction of electronic shipping documents, including in the implementation of multimodal transport. Modern digital solutions should become the main engine in ensuring fast and efficient customs and tax administration. At the same time, we propose to work out mechanisms for transferring ready-made platform solutions between the EAEU countries as part of the implementation of the digital agenda or on the basis of bilateral agreements between the countries.

Dear colleagues, I would like to emphasize the need to maximize the potential of the Union and take joint measures to increase the level of mutual cooperation between our countries. We need to create a space of trust not on paper, but in practice. Efforts to create an enabling environment and reduce administrative costs for the movement of goods must be sustained and extended.

Along with this, one of the limiting factors in the development of mutual and foreign trade of the EAEU is the increasing difficulties in making payments that arise as a result of external pressure on the financial systems of our countries. We need to work on strengthening the financial infrastructure that could meet and support the needs of EAEU market participants in the implementation of trade and economic cooperation.

Dear Heads of State,

2024 is a crucial year for developing strategic directions for the development of the Eurasian Economic Integration until 2025. The priorities identified by us in the framework of Strategy 2025 should not be limited to the preparation and adoption of reports and recommendations. If there are priority tasks, then specific decisions should be made on them.

Last year, we decided to finance cooperation projects. I believe that the practical launch of this mechanism should meet our expectations in terms of increasing investment cooperation, supporting and stimulating high-tech industries and industrial capacities, as well as for technology transfer. This mechanism should help to increase the competitiveness of the Union's cooperative goods and their further entry into foreign markets. At the same time, I propose to work on improving the financing mechanism for other priority sectors of the economy.

I would like to mention a few points regarding the development of trade and exports.

First. At the end of 2023, the work of the Eurasian Reinsurance Company was launched, which, through reinsurance of risks, should support the development of mutual and foreign trade of the Union. The Company should speed up its work on establishing interaction with national trade insurance systems so that they can start using additional insurance capacity as soon as possible.

Second. As for the external contour. I would like to note the need to continue working on the formation of preferential trade regimes with interested countries on mutually beneficial terms for all parties.

Today we discussed the issue of starting negotiations with Mongolia on concluding an interim trade agreement. I ask the Commission to pay special attention to the key provisions of the future agreement on preferential treatment and sectoral cooperation. It is important to take into account the interests of the EAEU member states, which are dominated by medium and small exporters of goods and services, in the negotiation process.

The third. In light of the dynamically growing consumer demand in Asian markets, I believe that the potential of food trade with China remains far from being fully realized. Given the complex procedures for allowing agricultural products to enter Chinese markets, the Eurasian Economic Commission needs to strengthen its work in this direction.

Dear colleagues!

Traditionally, the service sector occupies a significant share in the economy of our countries. I believe that the time has come to think about expanding the market of EAEU services, primarily services related to trade in financial, information services, creative activities, tourism, education and medicine. Entrepreneurs in our countries should actually feel the incentives and our support in these areas. I suggest that the Commission conduct an analysis of existing opportunities in this area.

The global labor market is experiencing a shortage of qualified labor resources. The single labor market of the EAEU is no exception. The economies of the EAEU countries require qualified employees who are able to produce competitive goods and provide high-quality services.

Technological progress and digitalization of the economy require new knowledge and competencies from labor market participants that contribute to creating added value and increasing labor productivity.

I believe that our countries need to develop active cooperation in the field of personnel training. We need to consider the possibility of creating joint competence centers where we can combine our efforts to find new knowledge and transfer it.

The mobility of labor resources and the attractiveness of the labor market largely depend on the migration policy pursued by countries, so when developing national legislation regulating labor migration in our countries, a very balanced and humane approach is needed.

For the Kyrgyz Republic, the issues of labor mobility are of fundamental importance, and therefore we urge not to allow any violation or deterioration of the provisions of the EAEU Treaty. We must not allow serious damage to the image of our association. We need to strengthen the trust of our citizens and continue working on the formation of a single labor market.

Dear colleagues!

In conclusion, I would like to wish the Armenian side and personally the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Dear Nikol Vovaevich Pashinyan, a successful year of the Armenian presidency of the Union bodies.

I would like to thank all the heads of State and participants of the meeting for their constructive work.

Thank you very much!

Nikol Pashinyan: Thank you, Sadyr Nurgozhoyevich.

Dear friends, I now give the floor to President of the Republic of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez.

Please, Mr. President!

:(as translated)M.Dear Mr. Nikol Vovaevich Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Union,

Dear Mr. Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich, President of the Russian Federation, please accept my most sincere congratulations on your election to the post of President with great popular support!

Dear Heads of delegations of the member States of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council,

Dear guests,

It is always a great honor to participate in the meetings of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. This is doubly gratifying today, as we are taking part in it face-to-face in the city of Moscow, dear to our hearts, on a very significant day, since today marks the 64th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the young revolution of the Republic of Cuba. The Cuban people owe much to this bond of friendship and cooperation in terms of their social and humanitarian development.

In addition, it is a pleasure to participate in the extended session of the Supreme Council to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union and on the eve of the 79th anniversary of Victory.

As we have repeatedly noted, the Cuban Government attaches great importance to economic, trade and financial relations and partnership with the Eurasian Economic Union and its member States, taking into account the historical ties of friendship and cooperation that we share with this group of countries. I would also like to congratulate Armenia on its presidency of the Eurasian Economic Union in 2024 and Mr. Bakytzhan Sagintayev on his appointment as Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission. We sincerely wish them every success in fulfilling their important duties.

At the same time, I share the words of previous speakers and express my gratitude to the Eurasian Economic Commission and the Government of the Russian Federation for taking the initiative to organize this summit in such difficult and decisive circumstances as the world is currently experiencing. The tense situation in several parts of the world is causing concern to the international community and encourages us to act in order to promote the process of establishing a new more just, inclusive and equitable world order. Cuba notes that the significant results achieved over the past ten years in all areas of cooperation prove that the EAEU is a successful, attractive and sustainable integration process. This is clearly confirmed by the macroeconomic indicators that have been achieved, such as GDP growth of $ 2.4 trillion, an almost doubling of mutual trade between member states, and an increase of 60 percent in foreign trade turnover, to name just a few significant data.

Since its establishment, and especially in recent years, the Union has had a very clear understanding of its activities and plans that meet development priorities, which is confirmed by the adoption of the Declaration entitled "Eurasian Economic Way", and the "road map", which provides for mechanisms and measures, as well as the timing and procedure for its implementation.

Dear colleagues, Cuba, as an observer State, once again confirms its desire and interest to expand its participation in the Union's mechanisms in order to achieve deeper integration. I sincerely believe that we need to improve coordination in order to give impetus to joint projects in areas of mutual interest. In this regard, it is essential to encourage more systematic and practical interaction between line ministries and institutions of the Commission, as well as between Member and observer States. It won't be difficult. The National Plan of Socio-economic development of our country for the period up to 2030 coincides in many aspects with the priorities in the short and long term contained in the EAEU Declaration, especially in terms of the role of science and innovation.

The third meeting of the joint Commission on interaction between the EEC and the Government of Cuba, which took place in Havana in January 2024, was a milestone in our relations and confirmed the need to radically change our actions in order to achieve diversification of our relations, as well as qualitatively and quantitatively increase our ties in terms of trade turnover, partnership and foreign investment both within the region, and beyond.

As you know, Cuba attaches great importance to a system of Government administration based on science and innovation. Although this requires a lot of preparation and training, I can say that we are making progress in implementing this process. Undoubtedly, the way to the development of nations is through knowledge. That is why we intend to develop this area of cooperation in relations with the EAEU.

We want to focus on strengthening such ties, focusing on such areas as industry, tourism, technical regulation of accreditation, as well as sanitary, phytosanitary and veterinary standards. These issues are key to achieving progress in introducing new Cuban products and maintaining the registration of those already present on the Eurasian market.

We are ready to share our experience and achievements in the medical, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries with Member States for further cooperation in this area. We can also join forces and continue to work in the area of sanitation and regulation so that Cuban medicines and products can be put into circulation in the countries of the Union.

At the same time, we see opportunities to strengthen cooperation in the field of industry, given that Cuban companies were invited to participate in the development of tools for the development of innovative products, high technologies and innovations for 18 digital platforms that were created in the Union.

We also support encouraging exchanges between the structures of the Eurasian Economic Commission, entrepreneurs of the Union and Cuba in order to establish direct links to identify interests in trade, partnership and foreign direct investment. The resumption of business-level exchanges between the Cuban Chamber of Commerce and the EAEU Business Council should be noted, which allowed us to identify a mechanism for joint work to encourage the development of relations between enterprises.

Dear participants of the summit,

I would like to reaffirm Cuba's commitment to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union and its member States. We are a small country that has been subject to an economic, trade and financial blockade for more than 60 years. In recent years, this blockade has been tightened with the introduction of new measures specifically designed to create obstacles to the successful implementation of our development plans and complicate the daily life of our people.

The unjust inclusion of Cuba in the illegal list of countries that allegedly sponsor international terrorism has adversely affected our country's ability to conduct its financial operations, thus creating a very tense economic situation, which our people are bravely and creatively resisting.

In these circumstances, the understanding, friendship and support that the EAEU member States have historically shown is invaluable, and Cuba is deeply grateful for this.

On behalf of the Cuban people and Government, I express our gratitude to you for your vote in support of the resolution against the embargo, which is adopted annually by an overwhelming majority of the UN General Assembly. We will continue to submit this resolution for consideration as long as this illegal, unjust and genocidal policy continues.

Those who block us will never be able to understand and therefore prevent the development of wonderful relations between our countries and our common vision that a better world based on the principles of cooperation, mutual respect and common well-being is possible, and we are able to implement it. All these values characterize the EAEU.

Dear friends!

On the threshold of a decade since the establishment of this remarkable association, we once again congratulate you and are fully confident that the results achieved during this period and the decisions taken following today's meeting will become the basis for further work to promote and strengthen the sustainable economic development of our countries for the well-being of our peoples. In this regard, you can always count on Cuba.

Thank you very much!

Nikol Pashinyan: Thank you very much, Mr. President.

I now give the floor to President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. You are welcome.

Sh.Mirziyoyev: Dear colleagues,

Dear participants of the meeting,

First of all, I would like to join in the sincere congratulations and warm wishes addressed to the distinguished Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin on assuming the office of President of the Russian Federation. Your landslide victory in the elections, which took place with a record turnout, once again showed the great confidence of the multinational people of Russia in you, their strong support for your political course and the ongoing large-scale transformation program to modernize the country. I wish you further success!

I would also like to congratulate all those present on a significant date – the 79th anniversary of the Great Victory over Fascism, as well as on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union. This morning, before flying to Moscow, I met with our veterans. Unfortunately, their number is getting smaller every year. They asked me very much – I said that I would meet with you - to convey their heartfelt congratulations to all war veterans, front-line soldiers and home front workers, and to wish peace, prosperity and prosperity to our fraternal peoples. It is with great pleasure that I convey to you these wishes of our veterans.

Dear participants of the meeting,

Today, my colleagues gave their assessments of the difficult situation in the world and stressed the need to further expand partnership in order to overcome modern challenges. I believe that in the current situation, supporting and stimulating trade and economic ties between our countries, promoting cooperation projects and creating conditions for the growth of mutual investments is of paramount importance.

One of the examples of such cooperation is the traditional international exhibition "Innoprom", which was successfully held last month in Tashkent. It was attended by more than 2 thousand leading enterprises of our countries, agreements were reached on hundreds of new cooperation projects. Today, this forum has become an effective platform for developing Uzbekistan's business dialogue with Russia and other states of the Eurasian Economic Union. We intend to expand this platform and attract more and more companies, including from other partner countries, including Cuba, Iran, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Mongolia, Vietnam and Indonesia.

In general, during the three years of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the EAEU in the observer status, the volume of mutually beneficial trade turnover increased by 60 percent, primarily due to an increase in the supply of industrial products. At the same time, the share of settlements in national currencies is increasing. Over one thousand joint ventures and projects have been launched. Cargo transportation volumes are growing. The frequency of scheduled flights has doubled. Together with the Eurasian Economic Commission, three meetings of the high-level working group were held, and the activities of the joint plan were fully implemented. We have also joined industry projects and programs in the field of digitalization of trade and cargo transportation in the field of e-commerce, the climate agenda.

Dear colleagues!

Let me briefly highlight the priorities of mutually beneficial cooperation between our country and the Eurasian Economic Union.

First. Uzbekistan is interested in expanding practical partnership and more active participation in the implementation of multilateral projects of sectoral cooperation within the framework of the strategic directions of the EAEU development. In this regard, we propose to prepare a new comprehensive plan of joint activities of the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Eurasian Economic Commission for the medium term. We are confident that the effective implementation of this document will serve to speed up the adoption of a mechanism regulating the full participation of observer States in projects.

Second. We confirm our readiness to mutually eliminate barriers and restrictions in trade with the EAEU countries. The procedure for Uzbekistan's accession to the Rules for determining the country of origin of Goods from 2009 has been launched. Concrete practical steps in this direction could be the organization of electronic exchange of data on goods and vehicles moving through our customs and borders, integration of information systems for sanitary, phytosanitary and veterinary control, adoption of a plan for convergence of technical regulation measures and application of electronic certification.

The third. It is important to continue a close dialogue on the development of the North-South transport corridor towards the markets of South and South-East Asia and the Middle East. In this regard, we welcome the fruitful results of the first meeting of the heads of transport departments on the development of the Belarus – Russia – Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan – Afghanistan-Pakistan multimodal route, held in Termez at the end of April.

In order to simplify transit procedures between our countries, we support the development of a set of measures for digital interaction with the EAEU unified customs transit system being implemented.

Fourth. We intend to continue to actively support industrial cooperation projects and localization programs for the production of popular products. I propose to develop separate "road maps" in this direction, providing for the placement of new capacities in industrial zones and technology parks jointly created in the regions of our countries. Issues of broad business involvement in such projects can be considered during the first meeting of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and the EAEU Business Council, which will be held this year in Samarkand. In addition, we are interested in using the possibilities of a special mechanism for supporting industrial cooperation programs within the association.

Fifth. I would like to emphasize the importance of establishing systematic work and expanding cooperation with the bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union in such important areas as the development of the Eurasian agricultural express, the introduction of green and water-saving technologies, support for the creation of joint agro-industrial clusters and logistics centers, the development of common approaches and close cooperation in overcoming the consequences of climate change. We propose to hold one of the next meetings of the relevant working group in Uzbekistan. Creating favorable conditions, social guarantees and activities of labor migrants in our countries with connection to digital platforms, developing joint tourism programs and products aimed at radically increasing the tourist exchange. I believe that all these areas could be reflected in the new medium-term cooperation plan.

Dear Heads of Delegation, in conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the distinguished President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, for the traditional warm and cordial welcome. I am confident that the results of this meeting will serve to expand mutually beneficial cooperation and become another practical step towards strengthening the friendship and partnership of our countries and peoples.

Thank you for your attention.

Nikol Pashinyan: Thank you, Shavkat Miromonovich.

Bakytzhan Abdirovich, please read out the agenda items. You are welcome.

B. Sagintayev: Thank you very much.

Dear members of the Supreme Council, the issues of expanded membership were considered in accordance with the established procedure at the meetings of the Union's bodies and agreed upon by the parties.

Your attention is drawn to draft decisions on starting negotiations on concluding a temporary trade agreement with Mongolia, making changes to the Rules of Work of the commissions, signing a Protocol on the exchange of information on the origin of goods with partners from Vietnam, as well as a number of information issues.

Dear members of the Supreme Council, all documents on the agenda items are ready for signing. If you have no objections, please make the appropriate decisions.

Thank you.

Nikol Pashinyan: We have already discussed in a narrow format that all issues and documents have been agreed upon. So I think we should just start the signing procedure.

(Document signing ceremony.)

B. Sagintayev: Dear Heads of state, all the documents have been signed. Thank you.

Nikol Pashinyan: Dear friends,

The signing procedure has been completed and the meeting has also been held. Thank you so much for your work.

Vladimir Putin: Mr President, thank you for your chairmanship.

Now let me invite all of you to an informal but still working lunch. We will be joined by the Presidents of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Thank you very much. [My Emphasis]

The synergy is there. All the economies are hot and getting hotter. One can see the Global Majority’s organizations beginning to merge together. There were many echoes but also many distinct ideas proposed. Georgia needs to get its act together and join along with the other Stans. And Azerbaijan too. As you read, several of the systems that existed within the USSR but died when it fell are finally being reinstituted, the unified energy market being the most important. Yes, migration policy shouldn’t be a problem within an organization where goods, money and labor are supposed to move freely. It’s clearly easier to confront the lawless West as a group than as an individual nation. The bold plan issued by Russia will now be integrated into other plans as Russia’s clearly setting the pace. It does seem that all the leaders are on the same team, even Pashinyan. The work is now organized and now awaits implementation.

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