Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan paid a working visit to Kazakhstan where he attended the subsequent meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Almaty.

The official photographic ceremony was followed by the narrow and enlarged intergovernmental sessions held with the participation of the Prime Ministers of Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan.

In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan particularly said the following:

“Dear members of governments, respected members of delegations,

First, I would like to express gratitude to Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin for successfully holding the meeting today. I would also like to express greetings to Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin and Prime Minister of Moldova Ion Chicu, who are participating in the meeting of our Council for the first time.

Dear friends,

This is our first meeting under the chairmanship of Belarus this year. In this regard, I would like to emphasize the importance of eliminating the existing obstacles and restrictions. It is also necessary to intensify efforts for the creation of common energy and transport markets within the Eurasian Economic Union.

As for the issues on today’s agenda, I would like to state that once again we considered the course of activities for elimination of the obstacles within the scope of operation of the internal market.

As far as the “Strategic directions for enhancement of Eurasian integration before 2025” are concerned, I would like to state that we attach special importance to the final agreement on this document based on the approved forms of cooperation enshrined in the Treaty of the Eurasian Economic Union.

As is known, the Republic of Armenia traditionally and actively participates in and supports the process of creating and implementing the digital agenda of the Eurasian Economic Union. We believe the formation of an eco-system for digital transport corridors will provide the opportunity to minimize the distance between the consumers, manufacturers and sellers of goods and services.

Dear participants of the session, since February 1 marks the end of the term of office of chairman of the Commission, in closing, once again, I would like to express gratitude to Tigran Sargsyan and the Commission for the work done and wish the Commission success in the future. I would also like to wish prolific activities under the leadership of Mikhail Myasnikovich and the Republic of Belarus, which will be chairing within the bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union this year.

Finally, I would like to express Armenia’s willingness to host one of the meetings of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council this year and assure you that Armenia will do its best to make sure the meeting is held at the highest level.

Thank you for your attention.”