Фото: пресс-служба правительства
Prime Minister Alyaksandr Turchyn has called on the Eurasian Economic Commission to stimulate the creation of cooperative production chains within the Eurasian Economic Union, warning that internal competition within the bloc is increasing.
“The Eurasian Union must remain for us a reliable platform guaranteeing stability and steady economic growth, and for other countries a powerful beacon of economic pragmatism. It is important to preserve the main achievement of Eurasian integration — a large internal market without borders, restrictions, or excessive protectionism, supported by production capacity and a comprehensive resource base.
However, today the aspiration for closer cooperation is no longer sufficient. The geopolitical context forces us to view the tasks of regional economic integration from a somewhat different perspective. It is necessary to ensure socio-economic development of our countries capable of steadily resisting a wide range of external challenges amid growing fragmentation of the global economy,” he said at a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.
Turchyn called for debureaucratization and concrete action within the Eurasian Economic Commission across all priorities of integration.
“Belarus has from the very beginning placed the formation of common markets at the center of Eurasian economic integration. I believe the current trends in the global economy require serious analysis by the Eurasian Economic Commission. Today, among other things, we are reviewing a report on the macroeconomic situation in the EAEU member states and proposals to ensure sustainable economic development. Unfortunately, the authors did not reach concrete proposals. We would like our highly professional integration body — the EEC — to present additional solutions to mitigate various macroeconomic risks.
We need practical results from adopted documents. A relevant area of collective effort is the effective functioning of the EAEU transport and logistics framework, with a focus on diversifying international transport routes and ensuring connectivity with key export markets and supply channels for critical imports.
Achieving a new stage of integration in building the economy of the future is impossible without developing the industrial potential of the EAEU and cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and production. So far, despite the efforts made, effective cooperation between our countries is developing extremely slowly. Moreover, at times, instead of cooperation, we are creating competition among ourselves.
We expect new ideas from the commission, as well as more effective work to stimulate the creation of cooperative chains between EAEU member states, supported by financial instruments from the union’s budget,” he added.
Turchyn also expressed hope that new regulations on Eurasian technological platforms will deliver results in the near future.
He further advocated expanding free trade zones with third countries, emphasizing the need to strengthen ties with Africa and Latin America.