ArmInfo. Armenia launched a new initiative within the framework of the EAEU, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in St. Petersburg on December 20, summing up the results of the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.
According to Pashinyan, the participants of the EAEU Supreme Council discussed a number of important issues on the agenda of the integration association. Firstly, as the Armenian PM pointed out, the Council approved the candidacy of the representative of Belarus, Mikhail Myasnikovich, for the post of chairman of the EEC Board. Tigran Sargsyan's term of office expires on February 1, 2020, he recalled. The new composition of the EEC Board was also approved. "I am sure that the new members of the Board will make their contribution to the further increase in the effectiveness of the Commission and our Union as a whole," the head of the Cabinet of Ministers noted.
In addition, several fundamental issues of strategic directions for the development of Eurasian integration until 2025 were discussed. Agreements on the pension provision of workers of the EAEU member states were signed, which, according to Pashinyan, is significant progress in the process of creating conditions for the effective functioning of the Union's single labor market.
They also discussed issues of removing barriers by members of the Union within the framework of the functioning of the EAEU domestic market. "We consider it necessary to continue joint efforts to remove the still existing barriers and create mechanisms to prevent the emergence of new ones," he said.
In addition, a decree was adopted on the implementation of liberalization plans for individual services sectors within the EAEU. Today's meeting, Pashinyan added, was also significant in that it was the last one under the chairmanship of Armenia. "We had the opportunity to summarize the past year and talk about the results achieved during the RA presidency," he noted.
According to the head of the Armenian government, it is obvious that Armenia's chairmanship in the EAEU bodies was very productive in terms of expanding the Union's external economic relations. During the RA presidency, the prime minister recalled, the Agreement on trade and economic cooperation with China and the agreement leading to the formation of a free trade zone with Iran entered into force. Free trade agreements were signed with Serbia, Singapore, as well as the Agreement on the exchange of customs information with China, "he said.
In October 2019, the tradition of holding the Eurasian Economic Forum was laid in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, Pashinyan recalled. Such events will henceforth be held annually in the presiding country.
Over the course of the year, a number of decisions were adopted that contribute to improving the institutions of integration and deepening cooperation between the countries of the Union. An international agreement on the formation of a common energy market of the Union was approved, the concept of forming a common financial market of the EAEU was approved. The first digital project of the Eurasian Network was also launched and the process of creating a common jewelry market was achieved.
According to Pashinyan, today Armenia is taking a new initiative - inviting each of the Union countries to supervise one of the major integration projects. "We expressed our readiness to coordinate the implementation of the program for the formation of the jewelry brand of the Eurasian Union," he said. In conclusion, Nikol Pashinyan noted that in 2020 the chairmanship in the EAEU passes to Belarus. The next EAEU meeting will be held in May 2020 in Minsk. To recall, from January 1, 2019, Armenia took over the chairmanship of the EAEU bodies - the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, the Eurasian Interparliamentary Council and the Eurasian Economic Commission.