News

11.01.2022 (Обновлено: 31.01.2022 15:06)

ADDRESS by S.N. Zhaparov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic to Heads of the Member States of the Eurasian Economic Union

Since January 1, 2022, the Kyrgyz Republic has assumed the chairmanship over the Eurasian Economic Union's governing bodies.

In previous years, we have witnessed global changes of unprecedented scale, including the coronavirus pandemic, which caused tangible damage to all countries of the world and exerted a tremendous impact on the socio-economic situation in each country. Notwithstanding these circumstances, which also include climatic changes and anthropogenic impact on the environment with their implications for the economic stability and security, the Eurasian Economic Union has proven its viability and solvency over the past seven years, while its Member States have time and again confirmed their commitment to the principles and goals of the Union.

The fact that economic stability depends on the current global and regional challenges and threats, as well as on volatility in the resource markets, requires the adoption of the coordinated effective economic decisions and the implementation of the efficient long-term mechanisms that would curb the influence of negative factors on the Union States’ economies. 

To make our integration attain long-term rates of sustainable development, the Kyrgyz Republic proposes to focus on the following areas in the year of its chairmanship.

Above all, we need to pursue the goals laid down in the Strategic Directions for Developing the Economic Integration until 2025. In this regard, it is necessary to continue close interaction between all Member States of the Union, as well as the work done by each Eurasian Economic Union's governing body to implement the Strategy.
The “four freedoms” principle enshrined in our Treaty must be guaranteed. Work in this direction should proceed uncompromisingly without being selective.

We need to develop and implement efficient measures and mechanisms that would quickly remove barriers and prevent their recurrence.

To make progress in this direction, the judicial branch of the Eurasian Economic Union should be granted the appropriate status, and the Board of the Commission should be given additional powers.

To raise national economies' competitiveness amidst global turbulence and volatility, as well as eliminate the inflationary impact on the Member States' economies caused by external factors, it is necessary to scale up cooperation in industry and agriculture.

In this regard, we need to develop joint programs and projects aimed at localizing the production facilities in the Member States, strengthening industrial cooperation, introducing information, innovative and “green” technologies to reduce the industrial impact on the environment and raise the efficiency of our economies.
Along with that, a spatial development forecasting system should be developed, and joint projects on import substitution, as well as infrastructure projects using the best scientific, technical and innovative developments need to be implemented, with financial development institutions and scientific potential of the Union Member States being involved in this process.

Nowadays, the food security challenge remains quite urgent in the Union Member States. Given this, a coordinated agro-industrial policy should be pursued to restrain price shocks and ensure a balanced production of agricultural products.

Furthermore, developing direct business contacts between producers and consumers of goods within the Union, creating commodity distribution systems and logistics infrastructure would significantly reduce price manipulation, including for the main groups of essential commodities.

The current pandemic situation and external economic pressure on individual Member States require the Union to ensure more intensive and close interaction in order to create a system of targeted assistance to the Member States' economic development.

The criteria and principles of support for the Member States' national economies need to be elaborated along with the instruments for providing such support to ensure the inclusive development and aligned economic growth rates of our countries. All this should be implementThe criteria and principles of support for the Member States' national economies need to be elaborated along with the instruments for providing such support to ensure the inclusive development and aligned economic growth rates of our countries. All this should be implemented within the timeframe set by the Strategic Directions in order to level the pressure on the socio-economic situation in our States.ed within the timeframe set by the Strategic Directions in order to level the pressure on the socio-economic situation in our States.
The Strategy of the Eurasian Economic Integration until 2025 includes creating and developing transport infrastructure across the Member States' territory in the East-West and North-South directions, including as part of coupling the Eurasian Economic Union with the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative.
We propose to create a pool of infrastructure projects that will have a positive impact on the economies of the Member States and the Union as a whole, as well as lay down a mechanism for their implementation.
As an example, we deem it relevant to advance and further implement a very important project for the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

In 2022, the Union should focus on developing coordinated responses to climatic changes and converging the approaches of the EAEU Member States as part of the climate agenda aimed at protecting the environment and creating favorable conditions for economic growth, raising the economic competitiveness of the Member States and the Union as a whole.

The development of the Eurasian Economic Union is inextricably linked with the well-being of working citizens of its Member States who must enjoy high living standards no matter what State of the Union they work in.

Therefore, this year attention should be paid to social affairs, in particular, workers from other Member States and members of their families should be provided with medical care in the State of their employment on the same conditions as citizens thereof.

Developing international cooperation in all its formats is a priority area of the Union’s activities.
Therefore, apart from developing cooperation in the form of a dialogue, we need to expand trade and economic relations with third countries by signing trade agreements aimed at entering new promising markets that include the countries of Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region, North Africa, as well as the Latin American continent.

I also propose to strengthen interaction between the working bodies of the EAEU and the CIS on aligning the legal framework of the CIS and EAEU in order to enhance the integration potential of the two associations.

Emphasis should be placed on expanding the geography of cooperation to cover the interests of the entire Eurasian Economic Union, taking into account the Union’s image as a center for shaping the Greater Eurasian Partnership and economic peculiarities of each of its Member States.

We are also being faced with the need to enhance the Commission’s capacity in terms of systemic dissemination of integration ideas, having the meaning of Eurasian integration penetrate into intercountry, interdepartmental, inter-sectoral functioning and interaction, and a large-scale dissemination of the Eurasian ideology in the public consciousness, including the consciousness of our young generation.
To this end, we propose to establish and annually hold the EAEU Youth Forum.

The year 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the Eurasian Economic Commission's work. This milestone should trigger the dissemination of the Union’s ideas and raise its social popularity with maximum efficiency.

In this respect, large-scale information campaigns and events are proposed to be held in all Member States.

Being committed to the ideas, goals and principles of the Union, the Kyrgyz Republic will make every effort to implement efficient and mutually beneficial cooperation between the Member States.

I express my hope for the support of our initiatives, as well as my confidence that the cooperation and interaction between the EAEU Member States will result in our goals and objectives being attained in order to strengthen the potential of the Union and support further development of our integration.

 

 

 

Chairman

of the Supreme Eurasian

Economic Council                                                S.N. Zhaparov