It is possible to protect national markets from smuggling through EAEU joint efforts - Denis Manturov

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Every year the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade organizes “Anticounterfeiting” Forum.

This year the Forum is being held in Yerevan.

Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov gave an interview to “Armenpress” on this topic.

“Armenpress” presents his full interview:

-Every year the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade organizes “Anticounterfeiting” Forum. This year the Forum is being held in Yerevan. What results do you expect? Whether the Russian side has developed decisions which will be possible to implement within the EAEU common economic space?

-The major goal of the Forum is contribute to reducing the volumes of illegal circulation of industrial goods and the negative consequences for the market. The emphasis on reducing the illegal circulation is not a coincidence. From my perspective, by building countering systems, it is necessary to maintain a reasonable balance between the state regulation and business development: it is not easy. Our analysis shows that the state tough policy, the installation of additional requirements and the restrictions for business sometimes are the reasons for increasing illegal circulation and suspending the activity of small and medium business subjects. At the same time, a number of methods are used by unfair participants of the market, which are considered as violations of customs and tax legislations, requirements of intellectual property rights, technical regulations. And those methods are constantly improved.

The development of a common policy on solving common problems is a necessity. The smuggling is an urgent issue which seriously harms our countries. First of all, we see on that a potential risk to the life and health of citizens of our states, and also a significant damage caused to the economy.

Taking into account the absence of borders and the free trade movement, the Union’s every participant is the guarantee of that common market. That’s why we need to form a common counteraction system which will work within the entire EAEU territory. As a first step for creating it, we must clarify the national bodies who will control that work. In Russia the President tasked this issue the State Commission, and a number of measures on countering frauds are reflected in the draft strategy on illegal circulation of industrial goods until 2020 which will be adopted this year. We are ready to share our analysis with our partners and to jointly think about preparing similar document within the EAEU and creating national system for recording the data on illegal circulation.

Another important precondition for reducing illegal production is the use of common technical regulations and international standards within the entire EAEU territory. In the last two years with the direct participation of the Eurasian Economic Commission we have moved on that path, and currently there are 35 regulations due to which in our countries, in general, thousand certification bodies and almost 2.5 thousand test laboratories are being conducted.

I would like to state that the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council approved the EAEU draft Customs Code which considers the interests of the business and will enable to run more transparent and effective policy in the Union’s border.

The EAEU Council has also paid attention to the necessity on passing to the common regulation of the drug market. It is an important issue the solution of which will allow to facilitate the fight against illegal circulation, optimize the production. It, of course, will have a positive impact on consumer environment.

We see that the scope of discussed issues is being more expanded, and I hope the Forum will lead to making relevant decisions which can be implemented within the EAEU common economic space.

The discussions on sections, round-tables, resolutions will be directed to all EAEU states.

-As far as we know, during your visit You plan to meet the Ministers of the Eurasian Commission.

-Yes, such meeting is scheduled, it will be held with the participation of EAEU three Ministers, under whose jurisdiction are industrial, trade, economic and financial policy issues. It is obvious that protecting the national markets from illegal circulation of industrial goods is possible only through joint efforts of the EAEU all states, and of course, the Eurasian Economic Commission must take the role of coordinating them.

I want to state that our Union is a bridge between Europe and Asia, as well as it is a common market with more than 182 million financially stable population. The total GDP of our countries is almost 3 trillion USD.

We are going to discuss the industrial cooperation development, the mechanisms on creating conditions for increasing the industrial production and issues of mutual supplies, assistance to exports. I am confident those efforts will enable to more effectively utilize the potential of the common market and to achieve synergetic results.

For instance, the day before the Forum we held a joint consultation with the leadership of the Industry Ministry of Belarus and the EAEU. As a result, we have outlined the implementation of joint projects in machine-tool industry sector and discussed the steps on expanding the mutually beneficial cooperation between the machine-tool enterprises of Russia and Belarus.

We have also agreed to hold practical consultations on developing stances agreed within the frames of Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade.

As for our Armenian partners, I want to say there are plans to create platforms within the framework of which the Russian and Armenian companies will be able to find and make joint projects. One of such platforms can become our major international industrial exhibition called “Innoprom”.

-As of today, how do you assess the bilateral trade-economic relations and inter-regional cooperation between Armenia and Russia?

-Many decades of allied partnership connect Armenia and Russia. I want to state that Russia is ranked first in the structure of trade turnover countries of Armenia. Despite the mutual trade system decline with all states in 2015 and 2016, we see a positive sign on improving the situation with Armenia in 2016.

I would like to stress the importance of cooperation development at inter-regional level. Within the framework of the working visit it is expected to sign a 2016-2018 action plan on trade-economic, scientific-technical, social and cultural cooperation between Ulyanovsk region government and Shirak province administration. I want to state that the strengthening and development of regional ties, as well as between small and medium enterprises, is one of our top priorities.

And I am happy to say that approaches of cooperation of our countries, as diplomats say, are closer or coincide. And it is due to concrete work, work at technical level. We are in constant contact and are consulting on state and regional issues. As we consider each other close allies, therefore, we always listen to the partners, consider each other’s interests.