Priorities of trade and economic cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and Myanmar were discussed at a meeting of the joint working group on interaction between the Eurasian Economic Commission and the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The meeting on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was co-chaired by Eldar Alisherov, EEC Minister in charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, and Kan Zaw, Myanmar Minister for Investment and External Economic Relations.
The meeting participants addressed the issues of cooperation in trade, agriculture, competition policy and interaction of business circles.
"Our dialogue on various aspects of the regulatory framework being developed within the EAEU is designed to promote the development of trade and economic ties between the Eurasian Five countries and Myanmar, as well as further growth of trade turnover, which has more than tripled since 2019," Eldar Alisherov stated.
Among the key objectives of cooperation between the Commission and the Government of Myanmar identified by the EEC Minister at this stage are raising awareness of each other's trade and economic opportunities, as well as identifying bottlenecks in economic relations that need to be discussed within the working group.
According to him, the high potential for cooperation between the parties "is predetermined by the Commission's active dialogue with the ASEAN region as a whole, as well as by the fact that Myanmar is essentially a 'bridge' between the EAEU and ASEAN, a trade 'crossroads' of major economies of Southeast Asia."
In turn, Kang Zaw emphasized the importance of the dialogue with the EEC for boosting economic cooperation with all countries of the Union. In this regard, he highlighted a number of the most promising areas: digitalization, e-commerce, technology exchange in agriculture, and interaction within Myanmar's special economic zones.
Myanmar Trade Minister Aung Naing Oo, Myanmar Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Minister Min Naung, and Aye Win, President of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, addressed the meeting.
The parties called on the entrepreneurs of the EAEU and Myanmar for closer cooperation, including the establishment of an official dialogue between the EAEU Business Council and the relevant Myanmar business association.
The next meeting of the joint working group will take place in 2026.