ArmInfo.In 2021, Armenia has already registered stable growth rates of trade and cooperation with the EEU countries, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said on November 19 at a meeting of the EAEU Intergovernmental Council in an expanded format in Yerevan.
As reported by the press service of the RA Prime Minister, Pashinyan, in particular, noted: " The numbers speak for themselves: Armenia's foreign trade turnover with the EEU countries in January-September 2021, compared to the same period in 2020, has increased by 12.8%. The volume of exports from Armenia to the EEU countries in the first nine months of this year increased by 27.8%. I am glad to state that the growth is registered for all EEU partners. Exports to the Russian Federation increased by 27.4%, to Belarus - by 19.2%, to Kazakhstan - by 89.5%, to Kyrgyzstan - by 48.0%.
This testifies not only to the development of trade cooperation within the EEU, but also to the existence of new opportunities, which have been launched in the conditions of global structural changes in the world economy.
Thus, the expansion of e-commerce opportunities is a qualitatively new mechanism to support small and medium-sized businesses, which may and should contribute to the increase of trade turnover between the countries of the Union.
At the same time, the growth of transborder e-commerce poses new challenges for us and requires effective solutions to ensure the security of goods, the protection of consumer rights, as well as the integrity of tax and customs revenues.
In the context of digital transformation, it's also necessary to consider the completion of the complex and long process of agreeing on the draft Agreement on the use of navigation seals for cargo transportation in the EEU. In this regard, I would like to mention the work of the sectoral departments of the EEU member states in the process of testing and coordination at the national level.
The application of the provisions of the agreement will enable the transition to digital control of cargo transportation, reduce the time and financial costs of the participants of the transport- logistics process, optimize the customs procedures, without reducing their efficiency. I would also like to emphasize the importance of the Agreement on the procedure for the exchange of data included in credit histories within the EEU. The signing of the agreement will create conditions for the development of trans-border lending in the EEU common financial market, as well as will allow the citizens of the Union to receive loans in the territory of all the five countries.
In conclusion, I would like to once again welcome all of you in Armenia. Congratulations to the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, who has joined us online. Taking into account that this is the last sitting of the Intergovernmental Council this year, I would also like to thank everyone for their active cooperation and intensive work in 2021," the Prime Minister of Armenia concluded.
According to the source, a number of agenda issues were discussed at the sitting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council. In particular, issues related to the situation over mutual trade, the development of the agro-industrial complex, the program of measures for the supply of raw materials to the metallurgical enterprises of the EEU countries for the period of 2021-2024, the approximation of the positions of the Union states on the climate agenda were raised. The Agreement on the use of navigation seals to track shipments in the EEU, the draft EEU Biosafety Strategy, issues on the e-commerce development and other issues on the agenda were discussed. Documents were signed based on the results of the sitting. It was decided to hold the next sitting of the EEU Intergovernmental Council in January 2022, in Almaty.
