Minsk hosts the EAEU Intergovernmental Council. Trade and cooperation are, perhaps, the two main topics for each country of the Eurasian "Five" and all together. This is discussed at the level of line ministries, but also, of course, governments in general. Today it is just that in Minsk. The dialogue of the prime ministers began in the evening in a narrow format. It lasted two hours. But conversations between heads of government often last much longer than planned.
It's important to approve the balance of food supplies to the Eurasian Economic Union.
The issues of today's and tomorrow's integration are at the top of the agenda. Here we have marking, transport corridors and common projects. The food supply of the whole union comes to the forefront.
Andrey Slepnev, member of the Collegium (Minister) on Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission:
We need to solve a number of serious problems. First of all, of course, so that no food ran out across the external borders of our partners in the union to third countries. This is an obvious issue. Secondly, we need to coordinate balances so that we understood what countries are the producers, what countries are the consumers, who can supply what and who can receive what. This work must be done in the short term. I think that today we will receive the appropriate decision of our heads of government on this subject.
People in the EAEU are increasingly talking about the need for a new financial system. Calculations in national currencies are growing, already reaching 75%, but they are not going to stop there, building direct pairs between national currencies.
In general, the Intergovernmental Council is a good platform for bilateral meetings. Uzbekistan is an observer in the Group of Five. And Prime Minister Aripov decided to combine the general meeting with a working visit to Belarus. It started at the High Technology Park.
Minsk and Tashkent: new projects
Tashkent now relies on the IT, at the same time buying Belarusian products. In 4 months of 2022 for more than one million dollars. Our interests include digitalization of banking, medical services and industrial processes. Air monitoring is also relevant today.
New cooperation projects were also discussed in detail in the government. This is already the third meeting of the prime ministers this year. In April, in Tashkent, they identified the main areas of cooperation. This year, the trade turnover has increased by one third and there is an opportunity to raise the bar even higher.
Abdulla Aripov, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan:
Our economies complement each other. We see potential opportunities for increasing bilateral trade turnover between the countries to one billion dollars in the coming years, as our heads of state have set us a task.
Cooperation in mechanical engineering
In July we plan to hold a meeting of the joint commission for trade and economic cooperation. We offer our furniture and raw materials. We also set up production of medicines. There is a joint assembly with our Amkodor in Uzbekistan. This equipment is also well known to Russians. Sanctions realities are prompting us to pay closer attention to our own within the Eurasian Union. The prime ministers of Belarus, Russia, and Uzbekistan personally test new products in the shops. Import substitution receives special attention.
Alexander Yefimov, General Director of "Amkodor":
"This year the Amkodor holding plans to fully substitute imported components for the machinery. In the first place it will be axles, automatic boxes for the machines, as well as equipment for the forestry machines - manipulator and harvester heads. And these systems will be fully controlled with the help of our controllers, which we also plan to localize."
The number of allied programs will be increased.
Today Belarus and Russia increase the level of cooperation in all the spheres. The agenda of the two, Belarus and Russia, is ready to be filled with new content. One third of 28 programs have already been implemented. Much was done in March-June to adapt the economies to the new realities
Logistics, cooperation and digitalization of economy - Minsk hosts EAEU Intergovernmental Council
20 июня 2022












