By Vestnik Kavkaza
Yesterday the Agreement on Establishing the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) was received by the House of Representatives of the Belarus parliament. Meanwhile, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko stated that the tax manoeuvre planned by Russia in the oil sector would cause significant financial losses by Belarus. The tax manoeuvre “is connected with ratification of the EAEU agreement,” ITAR-TASS cites Lukashenko. According to him, if such a step is made by the Russian Federation, it “will be a very big problem of functioning of the union.”
Ahead of the 11th Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan in Atyrau, Vladimir Putin and Nursultan Nazarbayev discussed problems of integration cooperation within the framework of the EAEU. The President of Kazakhstan noted that today relations between the countries are developing within the framework of establishing the EAEU, but the governments should pay attention to reduction of trade turnover between the countries due to the general situation. “I think it is a timely phenomenon, and our Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Union will start working at full capacity and bring benefits to our states and nations,” Nazarbayev said.
At the forum Vladimir Putin expressed his opinion that establishing the EAEU on January 1st, 2015, would create favorable conditions for cooperation: “Elimination of barriers in transit of capital, goods, services and labour force will contribute to the significant extension of a number of cooperation projects, improve the attractiveness of the economies of our countries in general and certain regions of the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan for investors, and boost exchange of innovation technologies. It is important that the regional authorities, business, producers and investors use new opportunities to the full extent. Of course we will encourage this at the governmental and presidential level.”
Alexander Novak, the head of the Russian Ministry of Energy, stated at the forum that the EAEU “will contribute to development of all-round cooperation, including the sphere of fuel and energy. The forming common economic space will open new opportunities for the fuel-and-energy companies; and not only power engineers will use them, but all the real sectors of the economy of our countries.”
“The Eurasian Economic Union will significantly enhance opportunities for our businesses and become a force in developing good relations between Kazakhstan and Russia,” Arkhimed Mukhambetov, the head of the Aktybinsk Region, said. The head of the Atyrau Region, Baktykozha Izmukhambetov, says that “the next step of the integration process within the Eurasian Union will lead to a new level of trade and economic cooperation between our countries.”
Meanwhile, in Moscow the vice-premier Arkady Dvorkovich says that the process of forming the EAEU “is going on steadily and successfully. The next year the most important stage will take place; actually the union will begin its operation, even though several spheres need transitional periods. Armenia and Kyrgyzstan are gradually integrating into our union. Moreover, the Customs Union is negotiating on a free trade zone with several countries – Vietnam (advanced stage) and New Zealand (advanced stage). We also study opportunities for free trade zones with other countries, for instance, Israel, and other similar projects.”
