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On November 21, the EAEU Days in the ASEAN continued with the round table "The Economic Agenda of the EAEU and ASEAN: Overlapping Interests". The event attendees noted the commonality of agendas and development prospects of the two integration associations.

Sergei Glazyev, Minister in charge of Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Commission, has noted that the EAEU and ASEAN have close interests, values and principles of developing integration processes that ensure mutual respect, recognition of States' sovereignty, decision-making by consensus, compliance with international law, trust and transparency in relations.

"Both the EAEU and ASEAN see the same goals and strategic planning horizons in the current geo-economic environment. The practically coincident economic agenda of the EAEU and ASEAN, as well as the synchronized development of integration processes in Eurasia meet the interests and demands of the business community," Sergei Glazyev stated.

He also emphasized that the planned launch of the EAEU single energy market is of potential interest to the ASEAN countries, which import oil and natural gas, and medicine manufacturers from the ASEAN countries have the opportunity to work in the EAEU single pharmaceutical market with a capacity of 10 bln US dollars. He noted other promising areas of cooperation such as technological platforms being created in the EAEU, as well as food production, information and communication technologies. 

Alexander Chandra, representative of the ASEAN Secretariat, has noted that the positive trend in economic growth in the ASEAN and EAEU determines high expectations from their trade and economic interaction. In his opinion, sustainable development is a promising area of cooperation. He has informed that the ASEAN is close to finalizing consultations on concluding an agreement on sustainable development. In case of success, the ASEAN will be the first integration association to achieve this. 

Fedor Chernitsyn, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation – Alexei Overchuk, has mentioned the fact that the global centers of world economic activity shift to Eurasia. Against this background, the EAEU aims by 2045 to become a self-sufficient, secure, harmoniously developed and attractive macro-region of the polycentric world, achieving economic, technological and intellectual leadership with a high level of human well-being. Taking into account the large territory, population, economic potential and extensive transport networks of the two integration associations – the EAEU and ASEAN – this goal setting determines new prospects for economic cooperation and civilizational connectivity between the EAEU and ASEAN. Creating a global free trade area between the EAEU and ASEAN, as well as technological partnership may become possible mechanisms for implementing promising areas of cooperation.

Connie Rahakundini Bakrie, Professor at General Ahmad Yani University (Indonesia), suggested that such problems as relative geographical remoteness and logistical difficulties between the EAEU and ASEAN could be solved by involving China and Mongolia in cooperation, increasing investment in infrastructure, creating new transport corridors, unifying supranational regulatory norms, and intensifying cultural exchanges and communication between the nations of the two integration associations. 

Dr. Fajar Hirawan, International Islamic University (Indonesia), noted that cooperation with the EAEU could make a positive contribution to solving a number of important tasks facing the ASEAN. These include reindustrialization, digitalization, creating an extensive transport network, achieving a new stage of energy transition, and ensuring food security.

Other experts who participated in the round table noted the importance of developing interaction between the EAEU and ASEAN in various fields, such as investment in high technologies, digital transformation, humanitarian aspects of interaction, ecology, corporate governance, achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and others. As Ekaterina Koldunova, Director of the ASEAN Center at the Moscow State University of International Relations (MGIMO) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, noted, new areas could become the subject of the EAEU-ASEAN interaction agenda. For this purpose, it is required to create a research program studying the experience of integration in the EAEU and ASEAN. 

The ideas and proposals put forward during the round table and other events of the EAEU Days in ASEAN may later form the basis for practical steps to be taken within implementing the Memorandum of Understanding between the EEC and ASEAN in the field of economic cooperation and the Joint Cooperation Program of the two integration associations until 2025.

The round table "The Economic Agenda of the EAEU and ASEAN: Overlapping Interests" was organized by the EEC jointly with the ASEAN Center at the Moscow State University of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. The event was moderated by Nikita Kuklin, Expert of the Center.

The event video is available on the EEC Youtube channel.