Eurasian Economic Commission Minister: Deeper integration will minimize consequences of crisis for Eurasian Economic Union member states

Deeper integration is the only way to minimize the consequences of the crisis for the Eurasian Economic Union member states, Eurasian Economic Commission Minister Karine Minasyan said at an international forum in St. Petersburg on Apr 21.

The press office of the Eurasian Economic Commission quotes Minasyan as saying that 2014 was crucial for Eurasian integration. “Last year the member states signed three serious documents: an agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union and agreements on Armenia’s and Kyrgyzstan’s accession to the Union,” Minasyan said.

“The agreement on Kyrgyzstan will be submitted for the ratification of the EEU parliaments once we draft the necessary protocols. Today our task is to implement all agreements we have reached so far. In economic terms, this year is not the best for integration but we all understand that we are so closely bound up that the economic crisis in the world and Russia would have affected us no matter if we were members to the EEU or not. The only difference is that now we have a platform for discussing our problems and finding solutions,” Minasyan said.

She said that deeper integration was the only way to minimize the consequences of the crisis for the Eurasian Economic Union member states.

According to Minasyan, one of the key tasks of the Armenian EEC ministers is to adapt Armenia to the Union, particularly, regarding labor migration and indirect taxation.

Minasyan said that Armenian businessmen were interested in joint projects in industry and agriculture.