Russian President Vladimir Putin today called for increased membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in a message to the leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which together with Russia form the organization.
“The Union has every chance to become one of the independent, self-sufficient and powerful poles of the multipolar world in the making, to be a point of attraction for all independent states that share our values,” he stressed in his appeal, published in the Kremlin website.
Putin noted that since its establishment in 2015, trade volume within the Union has increased by 60% and with the outside world has increased by 46% to $776 billion.
Putin stressed that one of the “main strategic priorities of cooperation should be the development of the technological potential of the countries of the EEU”, which Russia is chairing this year.
According to the Russian leader, one of the tasks of the UEE is to “reduce the economic risks to mutual trade that arise from the use of foreign currency and payment systems”.
Therefore, he added, Moscow considers the partners’ connection to the Bank of Russia’s financial communication transmission system an “indispensable condition” to ensure the stability of payments between EEU members.
“To accomplish all these tasks, the supranational institutions we have created must be improved, first and foremost the Eurasian Economic Commission,” Putin said, calling for more powers to be delegated to the commission.
At the same time, he stressed that “all important decisions should be made by consensus, as before”.
Source: DN
