What to expect from EAEU Intergovernmental Council?
Belarus maintains its course towards Eurasian integration and the development of the association - the main priority on the agenda of the EAEU Intergovernmental Council, which will be held in Almaty in the next two days.
Belarus currently chairs the meeting and the EAEU bodies. Therefore, Kazakhstan will carefully consider the macroeconomic situation in the "Five" countries, proposals to ensure sustainable economic growth, as well as the work of transport corridors (rail, road and air).
This will be the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Council in 2025. On January 30, the prime ministers of the five will gather there in the morning.
The local police warned drivers several days in advance about the closure of traffic on the main streets so that they could plan their route and not create traffic jams. After all, a lot of time is lost due to obstacles. And this can be said not only about the roads.
Barriers and restrictions, and sometimes long approvals, can hinder both trade and cooperation in the Eurasian Union. They are learning to overcome them together. And the number of these barriers is decreasing.
This year is important for the unification - the five-year plan is ending. It is necessary to evaluate what has been done, and also to determine the main guidelines in the strategy until 2030. Belarus has been and remains an ardent supporter of Eurasian integration.
Igor Petrishenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus:
"We must focus on the painful issues that cause concern among the parties. We agreed that within the framework of the Council of the Eurasian Commission we will pay the closest attention to what is lagging behind in terms of implementation deadlines, efficiency and quality parameters for the implementation of these provisions. This is related to scientific and technological aspects, energy market issues, transport, logistics. These are a number of topical issues that are very important for Eurasian integration."
We have defined cooperation as an important priority of our chairmanship in the EAEU bodies. And so, at the beginning of the year, new joint projects appeared.
Among the first agreements was the production, or rather the complete localization of cabins for combines in Kazakhstan.
The fact that Kazakhstan is actively updating equipment is best known to dealers of our tractors. They are assembled in two cities, and they practically go to the buyer straight from the wheels. There are already about 20 thousand new MTZs in the fields.
Competitors are not asleep. But quality and fast service with a visit to the field right away is a good advantage. This is our strategy not only in Kazakhstan, but throughout the entire EAEU.
And it must be said that the first 10 years in the EAEU have been quite successful. General trade is growing, despite the difficult situation on world markets.
"The main thing is that we have learned to listen to each other better. Neither GDP growth nor an increase in real incomes of the population would be possible if we were apart. And not everyone would be able to preserve their sovereignty on their own. Of course, much has been done, although the challenges have not diminished."
That is why Belarus consistently advocates for the conjugation of the EAEU, SCO and BRICS formats to build a fair multipolar world.
Pavel Utyupin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs:
"The initiative of Belarus to develop the Eurasian Charter is aimed at forming a multipolar world, a civilization with a large number of cultures, traditions. All this is laid in the foundation within the framework of international law, within the framework and under the auspices of the leading role of the UN."
Pavel Utyupin is completing his mission as the Ambassador of Belarus to Kazakhstan, and as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs he will oversee Belarus's interaction with integration platforms. Their conjugation to strengthen security and economic ties.
The agenda of the meetings in Almaty ranges from bilateral negotiations with Kyrgyzstan and Iran as an observer country in the EAEU to a meeting of the five inter-governmental councils in narrow and wide formats. The digital forum "Digital Almaty" will also be held here.