The meeting examined prospects for intensifying integration and cooperation among EAEU member states in industry, energy, and agriculture.
Mikhail Mishustin’s remarks at the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council
Meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in an expanded format
Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic – Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic Adylbek Kasymaliev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Turchin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Belarus Mohsen Omid-Zamani, and Ambassador of Cuba to Russia and Belarus Enrique Orta González (left to right) at the joint photo session of the heads of government of the states taking part in the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in an expanded format in Minsk
Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Turchin
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Chairman of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council Olzhas Bektenov
Mikhail Mishustin at the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in an expanded format. With Alexei Overchuk
Mikhail Mishustin and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Belarus Mohsen Omid-Zamani
The signing of documents following the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council
Meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in an expanded format
List of heads of delegations taking part in the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in an expanded format:
Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan (via video link);
Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Turchin;
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Belarus Mohsen Omid-Zamani;
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Chairman of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council Olzhas Bektenov;
Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic – Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic Adylbek Kasymaliev;
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba and Permanent Representative of Cuba to the EAEU in the Russian Federation Enrique Orta González;
Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin;
Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov;
Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Bakytzhan Sagintayev;
Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States Sergei Lebedev.
Colleagues,
I would like to welcome all the meeting participants and join in thanking our Belarusian friends for their brilliant organisation of the event.
During the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council held in Astana in May, President of Russia Vladimir Putin emphasised that deepening alliances with all the countries of the five was an absolute priority for Russia. We intend to continue taking every effort to foster integration processes within the Eurasian space.
Despite external challenges, the Union’s key macroeconomic indicators are showing positive momentum. Over the first half of the year, GDP grew by more than one percent, driven by increases in industrial output, retail trade and agricultural production.
We are actively expanding mutual trade. From January to July, it increased by 10 percent compared with the same period last year.
It is also important that we are making greater use of national currencies. Their share in settlements for goods has already reached approximately 95 percent. This is a very impressive result.
Together, we continue to build a robust industrial base for the Eurasian Economic Union. We can already see the benefits of coordinating our efforts in this area: labour productivity is rising, while dependence on supplies of raw materials and components from other countries is declining.
Yesterday, during our participation in the Innoprom. Belarus international industrial exhibition, we reaffirmed our commitment to continuing this joint work. I am confident that even greater success lies ahead.
I would like to highlight several key areas on which we should focus our collective efforts.
The first is further strengthening food security. The wellbeing of our people depends heavily on it. Currently, the Union covers over 93 percent of its needs in major food products.
We fully meet domestic demand for grain, pork, poultry, milk, sugar and vegetable oils.
The Eurasian Economic Union is one of the few regions in the world where food security is generally assured. Together, we can look to the future with confidence. We continue our work extending the experience gained from the supranational mechanism for supporting industrial cooperation projects to the agricultural sector. This is currently a priority area.
The joint industrial forecasts and supply-and-demand balances for various agricultural commodities across the five member states, approved today for the current and coming years, will help expand mutual trade and encourage the establishment of new enterprises and, consequently, create new jobs.
The second area is strengthening the transport and logistics sector.
We have made a joint decision to update the list of priority integration projects in this field. This includes adding a new route: the development of the railway section from Nevel to Gatchina and onward to the seaports in Russia’s Northwest. Alongside the implementation of such infrastructure initiatives, it is crucial to accelerate the introduction of electronic document management at maritime checkpoints, as we have discussed.
A comprehensive approach will help increase the capacity of existing routes and, consequently, freight volumes. This is the task our presidents have set for us.
The third area is energy security and preserving the advantages enjoyed by our countries and companies, both in attracting investment and in promoting Union-made goods in foreign markets.
We have established favourable conditions for the development of our economies. By way of comparison, the price of gas in Europe stands at around $900 per thousand cubic metres, whereas for member states of the Union it does not exceed $200. Given this price differential, the economic benefit runs into hundreds of millions of dollars. This is an undeniable advantage enjoyed by the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, thanks to the common energy market.
Today, we are approving the necessary amendments to the regulatory framework, including rules governing information exchange among participants, mutual trade in electricity, and the allocation of cross-border transmission capacity.
We expect this to lead before long to more efficient use of the Union’s generating capacity, driven by increased competition, transparent cross-border electricity trade, and the parallel operation of power systems. This will undoubtedly create even more favourable conditions for business development and for the daily lives of our citizens.
We regard the reduction of tariff barriers that prevent our companies from entering foreign markets as a key priority for the Eurasian Economic Union. Negotiations are currently underway to establish free trade zones with India and Tunisia.
Against the backdrop of ongoing trade wars, there is a markedly growing interest on the part of the SCO and ASEAN nations in establishing stable and predictable terms of engagement with the Union. There are likewise promising prospects for expanding cooperation with African countries.
We wholeheartedly welcome this sentiment and are working to forge mutually beneficial, equitable partnerships with all those ready for constructive dialogue.
Friends, colleagues,
In conclusion, I would like to thank Mr Olzhas Bektenov and all our Kazakhstani colleagues for their diligent efforts during Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the Union’s bodies.
We continue to work together to ensure the implementation of the Eurasian Economic Path declaration, approved by our presidents. To achieve the best possible results, we must exercise rigorous oversight throughout the process. I would ask the Eurasian Economic Commission to keep the parties regularly informed of the document’s implementation status, flagging any issues that arise so that they can be resolved promptly. Every effort should be made to settle contentious matters by consensus prior to our meetings.
We certainly still have much to do. I urge everyone to press ahead with strengthening the economic integration of our countries.
