Opinions & Interviews

MOSCOW, 22 October (BelTA) – The Eurasian Economic Union must promote brands and avoid protectionist measures, Belarus Vice Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko said at the Eurasian Week that opened in Yerevan on 22 October, BelTA learned from the press service of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC).

“In general we need a fair competition policy in the union so that our companies work in close cooperation in the EAEU market and promote our common brand in foreign markets,” Igor Petrishenko said. As examples of common brands he called such large enterprises of Belarus as MTZ, MAZ, BelAZ which manufacture products in close cooperation with Russian partners.

The plenary meeting of the forum was attended by Armenian Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Tigran Sargsyan, high-level officials of the EAEU countries. The participants to the meeting discussed the achievements of the EAEU member states in creating a favorable business climate, its further development, and ways of strengthening industrial relations.

Russian First Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov urged colleagues to improve the business climate by joint efforts. “The more common, binding, uniform regulations that absorb best practices we adopt, the better conditions for business we will create,” he said.

Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Askar Mamin stressed that one of the main goals for the EAEU is to mitigate the consequences of the projected economic slowdown. The Eurasian Economic Commission has developed 14 industrial platforms and more than 100 projects, the implementation of which will help minimize possible negative effects.

The Eurasian Week forum that will last through 24 October consists of exhibition and business parts. The exhibition displays products of the agricultural sector, pharmaceutics, light industry, building materials, and jewelry.

The EAEU biggest forum has gathered over 2,500 participants from 25 countries. The event will hear 160 speakers from Belarus, Russia, Armenia, Afghanistan, Hungary, Germany, Georgia, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, China, Lithuania, Moldova, Nigeria, Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the United States, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Switzerland, Qatar, France, Argentina, Spain, and Ukraine. The Eurasian Week business program includes three tracks. The strategic track is set to discuss the future development of the union. The industrial one will highlight cooperation in priority areas. The business track will focus on interaction of big, medium and small business in the EAEU.

The Eurasian Week is an annual event held by the EAEU member sates and the Eurasian Economic Commission. The first forum was held in Moscow in October 2016. Astana hosted the second edition in August 2017.