The Adoption of an International Agreement on the EAEU Common Gas Market Will Be of Great Importance. Pashinyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the regular session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, which took place remotely. Also participating were Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of Belarus Alexander Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin, acting Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Artem Novikov, Prime Minister of Moldova Ion Chicu, and Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mikhail Myasnikovich.

Prime Minister Pashinyan delivered a speech in which he particularly noted:

“Dear heads of governments, dear members of the delegations, I am pleased to have the opportunity to meet with you and discuss issues on our cooperation agenda. I would like to thank you for preparing for our meeting in a remote format and for the important work performed by the Commission in this difficult situation.

The pandemic has posed significant challenges for all of us. However, today we can confidently assert that it has not affected the effectiveness of our Union's work. We hope that coordinated actions in the fight against the new coronavirus will lead to positive results in the near future. I am confident that our joint efforts and the unification of efforts to overcome the difficulties will serve as an additional basis for deepening integration processes within our Union.

It is extremely important during this challenging period to find mutually acceptable solutions to all sensitive issues. Our primary concern remains the issue of passenger transport and the lifting of entry bans for Armenian citizens to several EAEU member countries.

This year has been particularly complex for Armenia for reasons known to all of you. But we have not slowed down the pace of cooperation and have actively participated in all processes occurring in our integration area. I must emphasize that during these days we have felt the support of our friends. We are grateful for the invaluable assistance provided by the Russian Federation in combating the pandemic and overcoming all the difficulties faced by our people this year.

Dear colleagues, regarding the agenda of the meeting, I would like to focus on the following issues: the Armenian side considers the full implementation of the draft “Strategic Directions for the Development of Eurasian Integration until 2025” as a priority. This document aims to bring the levels of economic development of member states closer, expand areas of economic cooperation, and improve the regulatory areas and institutions of the Union.

The mechanisms for forming common markets without barriers, deficiencies, and restrictions stated in this document are a crucial factor for the practical assertion of the four freedoms and enhancing the level of cooperation and competitiveness of our national economies. The implementation of this document will strengthen the Union's reputation in the world and will undoubtedly contribute to its attractiveness for investment and innovation.

The necessity to create equal and non-discriminatory conditions of competition in all sectors of the economies of member countries remains an essential principle for us. That is why we believe it is necessary to implement a coordinated energy policy for the formation of common oil, petroleum products, and gas markets, as well as a common electricity market.

In this regard, the adoption of an international agreement on the EAEU common gas market will be of great importance, which envisages the introduction of common approaches to price formation and tariff setting in the EAEU's common gas market, including unified tariffs for services provided during the transportation and transit of gas by entities with natural monopolies.

We emphasize the need to seek a unified solution to the issue of forming a common gas market and to finalize it. We are confident that this will create the necessary conditions for enhancing the energy security level of the Union's states, as well as for increasing the level of economic integration and competitiveness.

The next issue I would like to address is the creation of a common market for services in the construction sector. The approval of an action plan in this area is an important step in that direction. It is crucial, within the framework of the planned measures, to develop and sign an international agreement on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications of leading technical personnel in the construction sector within the EAEU.

Lastly, I would like to touch on the issue of granting tariff preferences to goods and services from developing and least developed countries. I consider it necessary to urgently review the list of countries benefiting from the unified system of tariff preferences. It should be formed according to criteria established by us.

Dear participants of the meeting, in concluding my speech, I would like to reaffirm Armenia’s readiness for active cooperation for the further development of Eurasian integration and to call on you to support our initiative for refining the list of countries benefiting from the unified tariff preference system in accordance with the requirements of the Union's legal norms.

Considering that this is the last meeting of the intergovernmental council this year, I would like to once again thank everyone for active cooperation and wish you all the best. Thank you for your attention.”

During the meeting, a wide range of issues related to Eurasian integration was discussed, covering topics of trade, internal market activities, competition, industry, technical regulation, and more. During the expanded session, the heads of government of the EAEU member states also signed the minutes of the meeting and the documents on the adopted decisions.