We are ready to build relations with the European Union, considering the interests of both the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Union partners.

Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), Tigran Sargsyan, said the aforementioned at the grand opening of the 20th jubilee opening of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

The Forum was opened by the Deputy Chairman of Russian Government Sergei Prikhodko, who is also the Chairman of Forum Organization Commission, the EEC press-service reports.

The grand opening of the Forum was attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and Guinean Republic President Alpha Condé.

In his address, Tigran Sargsyan noted that EAEU is a young organization: only two years ago the member-states signed a union agreement on setting up a new economic union. In this short period, EEC carried out huge work, he said.

Sargsyan also added that there are still people who ignore EAEU. “These are perhaps those who wouldn’t like Junker to come to this conference. But we know that there are people who on the contrary support this dialogue and the opportunity to build ties with the economic unions,” the Chairman said.

According to him, the EAEU is a response to the global challenges and risks existing in the world today. Currently the citizens and businesses of Union’s member-states feel the benefits provided by the common economic space.

The Commission will continue the work on drawing up new normative documents regulating the activity of the business entities in the Union. It is very important for this process to include a dialogue with business and potential partners. “I want to assure you that we are interested in building ties,” the EEC Board Chairman noted.

He stated that the presidents of the member-states declared 2016 as a year of deepening trade and economic relations of the EAEU with the third countries and economic unions. This means that it is necessary to build relations, considering both the interests of the business of Union member-states and third countries. “And this requires a dialogue. We are ready to get it straight with the European Union, since we have great interest in this and will be happy to contacts at any level,” Sargsyan stressed.  

Apart from this, he informed the Forum participants that the presidents of EAEU member-states granted a mandate to the Eurasian Economic Commission to hold talks on the development of trade and economic ties with China.

“This opens up new opportunities for regional integration. Today we have a chance to build common economic space and new strong institutions, including with the consideration of the best international practice; we must capitalize on this. This is an opportunity not only for our business but also the European and American one,” Sargsyan said.

He also told Forum participants that the dialogue on the level of business community of third countries in EAEU goes on rater intensively. The foreign business shows keen interest in building ties with the EEC, he noted.