Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov took part in a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in the city of Moscow (Russian Federation). In both narrow and expanded formats, the EIGC participants discussed the development of trade and economic cooperation, industrial cooperation, as well as interaction in the energy, digital, customs spheres, and others, primeminister.kz reports.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Turchin, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers - Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic Adylbek Kasymaliev, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba Manuel Marrero Cruz via videoconference, as well as Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Bakytzhan Sagintayev.
The heads of delegations exchanged views on joint activities in the current year and priority areas for further integration and partnership within the EAEU for 2026. Attention was paid to cooperation in the oil and gas sector, issues of improving customs control mechanisms, the development of electronic commerce, the goods labeling system, and others.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, in his speech, noted the practical results of cooperation that ensured positive dynamics in key sectors of the economy.
The Head of our State, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, emphasizes the need for comprehensive implementation of the EAEU Treaty and the expansion of foreign economic cooperation with third countries. Overall, over the entire period of the EAEU’s operation, Kazakhstan’s mutual trade with member states has grown by 90%. We need to maintain the momentum of joint work aimed at strengthening economic cooperation, eliminating barriers, and developing mutual trade," Olzhas Bektenov noted.
In the current year, the EAEU countries adopted a number of documents contributing to strengthening integration and ensuring sustainable economic growth of the states. The signing of the "IV Major" Protocol is aimed at improving the basic Treaty and further developing the activities of EAEU institutions. The expansion of external economic ties is facilitated by the conclusion of international agreements with the UAE, Mongolia, and Indonesia.
The meeting participants emphasized joint work in the field of digitalization of public procurement. According to an international study, Kazakhstan’s national public procurement system occupies a leading position in terms of accessibility and transparency. The entire public procurement cycle, from planning to payment, is carried out exclusively in electronic format. Tenders are conducted using a rating and points-based system without the involvement of a commission, and the winner is determined automatically, which eliminates subjectivity. As a result of these measures, savings of budget funds of the Republic of Kazakhstan since the beginning of this year amounted to approximately $1.5 billion (more than 766 billion tenge). Taking into account the development of advanced IT solutions and the full use of the advantages of digital tools, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan noted the need to update certain provisions of the EAEU contractual framework in the field of public procurement.
The existing mechanism for financing industrial cooperation was recognized as an effective tool for supporting joint business initiatives. This year, 5 projects were approved at the expense of the EAEU budget, including 3 projects in the field of mechanical engineering and the railway industry with the participation of Kazakhstani business. Given the growing interest from business representatives of EAEU countries, the Kazakh side noted the need to prioritize the provision of subsidies to enterprises using modern digital solutions and artificial intelligence technologies. This will give additional impetus to the development of high-tech production and innovative areas, which in turn will contribute to increasing the capacity of existing enterprises and opening new ones, creating new jobs, and economic growth of the states.
Issues of improving conditions for doing business were also discussed, with an emphasis on preventing the emergence of excessive regulations and ensuring predictability and transparency of regulation.
Following the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, a number of documents were signed.
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