Wednesday, October 11 2017 21:00

ArmInfo. On October 11, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan addressed the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. He said in part: "For almost three-year period of the functioning of the Eurasian Union, a considerable amount of work has been done on the practical implementation of the principles of freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor on the general market. The contractual and legal framework is constantly replenished, the priorities of the Union have already been determined, there is a joint coordination of policies in the most important sectors of the economy, the coverage of the multilateral cooperation of the EAEU is consistently expanding.

For the first 7 months of this year, we have an increase in the volume of mutual trade by almost 28% compared to the same period last year. In January-July 2017, by the corresponding period of 2016, the growth of the Republic of Armenia's export deliveries to the market of the EAEU countries was registered by 29%. The total volume of foreign trade of Member States with third countries increased by more than 26% and Vladimir Putin cited many figures that confirm the correctness of our decision. It is necessary to consolidate this trend, to ensure its sustainable character.

For this, it seems to us, it is necessary:

First, to continue joint work not only in terms of identifying, but also eliminating existing barriers, to provide the necessary prerequisites for doing business in conditions of uniform rules for healthy competition. Carrying out work on expanding the contractual base, it is necessary to focus on those normative acts, after which economic entities of our countries would in practice feel the validity of their adoption.

Secondly, we expect that the digital agenda should promote transparency of cooperation, increase productivity, and improve the quality of services. We share the urgency of the issue and believe that it must be solved taking into account the following points: assessing the economic feasibility of projects, their integration component and significance for the economies of our countries; taking into account the positive experience of implementing similar projects in the member states of the Union; set of agreed criteria on which it is possible to assess the conformity of projects to the interests of the Member States and the Union as a whole.

I believe that the development of digital solutions can begin with the mutual recognition of electronic invoices. Since the issue of mutual recognition of invoices is cross-cutting for a number of digital initiatives, including tracking and electronic commerce, I propose that the governments of countries, together with the Commission, work on this issue as soon as possible. It is also important that all subsequent actions on the digital agenda would shield the business from the possible increase in disproportionate administration and new financial burdens.

Another step towards strengthening the EAEU, and this is the third, is cooperation on the international track. We proceed from the fact that, at the level of the Union and individually, the interaction between various integration structures, naturally, with observance of our commitments, can make an important contribution to the formation of a mutually complementary and mutually beneficial space without dividing lines for the benefit of all states.

We note with satisfaction the principal completion of the negotiations on the trade and economic agreement of the EAEU - China. This became possible thanks to the experience of bilateral cooperation with China accumulated by our countries. We believe that this format of cooperation should contribute to the development of cooperation of the entire EAEU, as well as the cooperation of the EAEU in this or that direction should enrich the bilateral relations of our countries.

We believe that the creation of a single Eurasian trade and economic space and transport corridor is possible through the implementation of large infrastructure projects that unite the Unified Energy System with the initiative "One belt, one path," involving all countries of the Union. This will minimize all available infrastructure constraints for integration, and, as a result, form a system of associated transport routes.

I would also like to confirm the mood, and I am sure that this is our common position, for signing an agreement with Iran in the near future. This issue was touched upon yesterday with the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Prime Minister of Armenia during his yesterday's visit to Iran and I understand that they are ready to continue negotiations and conclude in the near future.

In conclusion, I would like to inform you that yesterday the Constitutional Court of Armenia considered the Agreement on the Customs Code of the EAEC, and the document will be sent to Parliament for ratification in the near future. We expect that further all issues will be resolved in our countries in a constructive way for the benefit of our peoples and for the prosperity of our countries."