Kobyakov: Belarus will monitor work on energy market concepts in EEU

Belarus will closely monitor the development of concepts of the formation of energy markets in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), Belarus’ Premier Andrei Kobyakov told reporters following the first meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council at the Gorki residence of the Russian government on 6 February, BelTA has learned.

“Presiding in the EEU, Belarus will keep track on the elaboration of concepts of the formation of common energy markets and the program of gradual liberalization of transportation services,” Andrei Kobyakov said.

The Belarusian Prime Minister informed that as he presided the session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council he put forward a number of specific proposals on the further promotion of the Eurasian integration. “There are plans to intensify the work of the Eurasian Economic Commission to remove exemptions and restrictions in the mutual trade in 2015. Belarus has reiterated many times that the work of the commission should be more efficient. This pertains to the trade in commodities and the most common types of services, including transportation services,” Andrei Kobyakov noted.

Belarus wants practical results from implementing the harmonized policy in manufacturing and agriculture and from the joint efforts to promote exports.

The Belarusian Premier informed that the session continued the work on the protocols to the agreement on Kyrgyzstan’s accession to the EEU, discussed long-term approaches to the promotion of cooperation with the major trading partners outside the EEU, as well as plans to start marking individual products and the establishment of the Eurasian machine tool engineering center.

“The decisions we have made today will allow us to keep working on promoting the EEU, strengthening its positions in the global economic agenda and implementing specific projects aimed at building up the economic capacities of the Eurasian Economic Union,” Andrei Kobyakov said.

He expressed hope that the initiatives to be put forward by Belarus during its presidency would be upheld by the other EEU partners. “I am convinced that the establishment of a full-fledged economic union, free from exemptions and restrictions in the mutual trade in goods and services, with powerful industrial, agricultural, export and investment potential, is the result expected from the EEU by citizens of our states,” Andrei Kobyakov concluded.