The meeting reviewed the results and prospects of interaction between the Eurasian Economic Union countries and Vietnam within the Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect 10 years ago.
“We consider this anniversary to be a significant milestone in our relations. Vietnam was the first State that the EAEU signed a free trade agreement with. This imparts a strategic character to our dialogue and shapes a sustainable model of interaction,” the Head of the EEC Board emphasized. “We consider Vietnam to be one of the key elements of cooperation between the EAEU and the ASEAN States.”
During the term of the Agreement from 2016 to 2024, trade turnover between the Eurasian “five” countries and Vietnam increased by more than 60% – from 4.3 bln dollars to 6.8 bln dollars. In 2025, mutual trade continued to grow, amounting to 8.3 bln dollars.
The parties paid special attention to digitizing trade and customs cooperation. Additional impetus to these activities is given by Kazakhstan's chairmanship of the Union's governing bodies in 2026, which has identified the development of state-of-the-art process solutions as one of its priorities.
The interlocutors discussed issues of transport and logistics connectivity between the EAEU countries and Vietnam, in particular using the potential of the Eurasian land routes and their coupling with the ASEAN States' infrastructure.
Bakytzhan Sagintayev and Pham Minh Chinh discussed the prospects of holding the next meeting of the Joint Committee on implementing the Free Trade Agreement in 2026. The Chairman of the EEC Board proposed timing the event to coincide with a meeting of business circles, which would facilitate a direct dialogue between them.
“The main beneficiaries of the Agreement should be export-oriented companies and small and medium-sized businesses in our countries. It is important to utilize the full potential of this document,” Bakytzhan Sagintayev noted.
Following the meeting, mutual readiness was confirmed to continue systematic work to strengthen the strategic partnership.
