31 May 2004 17:29
Belarus speaker upbeat on Eurasian Economic Community prospects
Minsk, 31 May: Economic cooperation between member states of the Eurasian Economic Community [EAEC - Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan] is continuing to grow, the chairman of the Belarusian National
Assembly's House of Representatives [lower house of parliament], Vadzim Papow, said at a news conference in Minsk
on 31 May. The conference was dedicated to the results of the fifth meeting of the EAEC Parliamentary Assembly held in
Astana (Kazakhstan) on 28 May.
An increase in reciprocal trade turnover testifies to the growth in economic cooperation between the member states of
"the five", Papow said. He said that trade turnover within the EAEC framework grew by 25 per cent in 2003 and
by 16-17 per cent during the first months of 2004. Papow said that Russia's trade with EAEC countries accounts for
about 10 per cent of its own total trade turnover, while Belarus's trade with "the five" accounts for 59
per cent of its own total volume of exports and imports.
He recalled that about 70 documents had been signed within the EAEC framework, but added that some of them have not
yet been ratified by national parliaments. About 10 agreements are not operating at the moment, he said.
Papow said the signature of the agreement to form the single economic space by Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and
Kazakhstan in September 2003 does not "give up the EAEC as lost". He said this community "will definitely
continue". He believes that the different level of integration allows all countries better to analyse their
achievements and shortcomings. "The main thing is that each of the countries should benefit from these
decisions," the chairman of the House of Representatives stressed.
[Passage omitted: EAEC Secretary-General Grigoriy Rapota will visit Minsk on 2 June to discuss the
organization's problems.]
[Belapan news agency] |
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