Armenian PM participates in Eurasian Intergovernmental Council session in Kazakhstan

16:32, 2 February, 2018

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. The delegation of the Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan on February 2 participated in the session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council at narrow and extended formats in Kazakhstan’s city of Almaty, the government told Armenpress.

In his remarks the Armenian PM thanked the Kazakh side and the country’s leadership for the warm reception and holding the session at the highest level.

Talkin about the development of integration partnership with the EAEU, the PM stated: “This is our first session of 2018 during which the chairmanship will be carried out by our Russian partners, and the Armenian side is ready to actively cooperate with the chairing side and all member states for the benefit of the further progress of the Eurasian integration.

It’s necessary to state that during the narrow format session we have already clarified the conceptual moments relating to today’s agenda. I would like to briefly talk about this.

The commission conducted a thorough analysis in terms of recording the macroeconomic situation in our countries, ensuring mutual trade and sustainable economic development, identifying the proposals on joint progress directions. Really, in Armenia the mutual trade volume with the EAEU states increased by nearly 25% in January-November 2017, compared to the same period of 2016. According to our predictions, these numbers are higher in terms of the year. During the same period the export supplies from Armenia to the EAEU market increased by 40.4% and the import supplies by 18.9%.

Compared to the previous year, our economic activity index comprises 7.7%, and we expect the GDP to be nearly at the same level. I think it’s necessary not only to keep this trend, but also to continue the efforts to enter a broader industrial cooperation focusing on the joint innovative projects. It’s also important to keep in spotlight the works aimed at eliminating the existing barriers in the overall market, ensuring necessary preconditions to run a business in a healthy competitive environment and to effectively utilize the opportunities of logistics and transportation communication.

Here the expansion of markets was talked about, and in this context I want to inform you that in late 2017 the Free Economic Zone on the Armenian-Iranian border launched its operation in Meghri. We think the Free Economic Zone is a good platform for the business of the EAEU countries which is interested in entering the Iranian market. We are very open in this regard and are ready to cooperate not only by the right to capital distribution in the FEZ, but also by the joint investment partnership”.

The Prime Ministers of the EAEU member states discussed the EAEU digital agenda, as well as issues relating to the obligations of the participating states within the frames of the activity of domestic market during the narrow format session.

During an extended format session issues relating to the macroeconomic situation of the EAEU states, joint trade, industry were discussed.

Based on the session results a number of documents were signed.

A decision was made to hold the next session of the Council in April in Russia.


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