Kopirkin on Armenia's Membership in the EAEU

The relevance of developing integration processes within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and expanding the union is more than evident for all those familiar with the relations between member countries and regional realities. This was stated by Sergey Kopirkin, the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Russian Federation to Armenia, during the 7th annual conference of the Eurasian Expert Club, where he spoke about the seven years of activity of the EAEU and the anniversary of Armenia's membership in the union.

"I must say that Russia, Armenia, and other member states closely cooperate in the EAEU, and since we are in Yerevan now, I would like to particularly highlight the constructive, interested approach of the Armenian side regarding the development of integration processes. Armenia plays a significant role in expanding the EAEU's connections with third countries," noted the Russian ambassador.

According to Sergey Kopirkin, one of the important directions of the Eurasian Union's work is the expansion of its geography through establishing connections with third countries and regional integration associations. Currently, five states are members of the EAEU: Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Cuba have obtained observer status in the EAEU, while various depth trade agreements have been signed with five other countries: China, Iran, Vietnam, Singapore, and Serbia.

In this context, Ambassador Kopirkin recalled that the leaders of Iran and Singapore also participated in the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council held in October 2019 in Yerevan. The economic benefits Armenia has received from the EAEU are also evident, as evidenced by the growth of mutual trade between Armenia and the other member states of the EAEU.

"In the first nine months of this year, Armenia's export volumes to EAEU countries increased by almost 30 percent, with growth recorded with all partners," reported the Russian ambassador.

The 7th annual meeting of the Eurasian Expert Club and the conference on the theme "Seven Years of Armenia's Membership in the EAEU: Eurasian Integration Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" were organized by the Eurasian Expert Club and the public organization for research and analysis "Integration and Development." The conference was attended by the Russian ambassador Sergey Kopirkin, Kazakhstan's ambassador Bolat Imanbaev, Belarus's ambassador Alexander Komkous, diplomats from the embassies of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, representatives of the Russian military base 102 in Armenia, and members of the Eurasian Expert Club.