MINSK, 24 March (BelTA) – The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) should be at least as good as the European Union (EU), Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Tigran Sargsyan on 24 March, BelTA has learned.
“There is no turning back. We need to improve the Eurasian Economic Union, this union should be as good as the European Union. Otherwise, our people will think that we are just babblers,” the Belarusian leader stressed.
Alexander Lukashenko noted that the EEU which was established within a rather short period of time has reached a lot. “But there are many drawbacks and pending issues which are to be solved due to objective and subjective reasons. All parties, from the Eurasian Economic Commission to the presidents and prime ministers, will have to do their best to advance the Eurasian Economic Union to a brand-new level,” the President said.
In 2015, Belarus presided in the EEU and put forward a plan of action to develop the union. Due to various reasons, we did not manage to solve a number of issues, Alexander Lukashenko stated. To a certain extent, it can be explained by the changes in the composition of the Eurasian Economic Commission. “The accession of Kazakhstan to the WTO also had an impact, we had to adapt to it,” the head of state reminded.
In spite of these problems, Alexander Lukashenko is optimistic about the future of the Eurasian Economic Union. “The life will compel us to make progress in establishing the union, building the formula we have been always talking about. It is need to ensure the real freedom of markets, capital, and workforce within our borders. Our national problems should not hinder the promotion of common interests and the resolution of pending issues,” the President is convinced.
Tigran Sargsyan, in turn, expressed hope that the efforts to create the single economic space and a huge experience will give a new impetus to the integration processes. “Our citizens and businesses should see real benefits from these activities,” he remarked. Tigran Sargsyan pointed out serious transformations in the world, new challenges for the European integration. “It will be easier for us to cope will all these modern challenges together,” the official said. He expressed confidence that the priorities determined during the presidency of Belarus will remain in the spotlight. However, it is still needed to do a lot, Tigran Sargsyan said.
