India | Russia
The second Eurasian Economic Forum was held on 24-25 May in Moscow and was timed to coincide with a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council with the participation of heads of member and observer states of the Eurasian Economic Union. The events were held as part of the Russian Federation’s presidency of the Eurasian Economic Union bodies in 2023. The theme of the Forum was ‘Eurasian Integration in a Multipolar World‘.
Results of Eurasian Economic Forum
BusinessProgramme
The Forum Business Programme consisted of 35 sessions. Topics were focussed primarily on the most relevant issues concerning integration processes in the Eurasian Economic Union, including the preparation of new long-term planning documents and defining the main areas for cooperation on integration until 2030 and 2045, the development of EAEU cooperation with countries from beyond the CIS, customs regulations, prospects for the market within the EAEU, the digital transformation, and improving mechanisms for international settlement.
Events were divided by theme into seven groups:
Human Capital
Technology and Cooperation
The EAEU in a Changing World
Eurasian Collectiveness
The EAEU Internal Market, Cooperation in Customs, Competition, and State Procurement
Strategic Section
EAEU Business Council Section
Featured as part of the business programme were:
Supreme Eurasian Economic Council Meeting
Business Breakfast ‘The EAEU Domestic Market: Challenges and Development Prospects’
ASI Business Breakfast ‘New Opportunities to Build International Cooperation in Eurasia’
EAEU-Indonesia Business Dialogue
Business Breakfast EAEU-Indonesia Business Dialogue
Presentation of EAEU-Indonesia sectoral projects
PlenarySession
The main event of the second Eurasian Economic Forum was the plenary session, attended by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan, and Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mikhail Myasnikovich.
The event was moderated by President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and Chairman of the Presidium – President of the EAEU Business Council Alexander Shokhin.
Mher Grigoryan: “Our Union covers one of the world’s richest territories in terms of natural resources and minerals. But our most valuable resource is, of course, people. Without a doubt, how effectively we achieve our goals and our competitive advantage depend on the people and their motivation. The main purpose of our integration, taking into account all formal definitions, is the development of human capital as the promise and future of Eurasia.“
Alexander Lukashenko: “The world has been living in a state of constant tension and uncertainty. In trying times, a stable economy always serves as a powerful anchor. But economic borders have become so porous everywhere, and trade networks so intertwined, that it would be virtually impossible for any state to achieve economic sustainability on its own. That is why participating in powerful regional and international associations, such as the EAEU, SCO, BRICS, and ASEAN, would be desirable for any country.“
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: “The events of the past year have once again clearly demonstrated the importance of developing the North-South Transport Corridor as a key component of the new global logistics. This meridional corridor is aligned with the latitudinal Trans-Caspian international transport route. That is why we see significant synergies in the coordinated and systematic development of both routes. It is not only a growth point for industry, transport, and the economy. These routes have the potential to fundamentally change the level of interaction and cooperation within Eurasia in all its vastness. […] In all, it would be no exaggeration to say that we are now creating a new transport framework for Eurasia such as has never existed before.“
Sadyr Japarov: “Protecting and supporting business interests is a priority task in all EAEU countries. Consequently, I believe we must study the feasibility of establishing a business ombudsman in the Union. […] The creation of a Eurasian rating agency and the removal of restrictions hindering businesses would increase the financial independence of the countries in Eurasia and give a boost to investment activity.“
Vladimir Putin: “We are witnessing profound, fundamental changes on the global stage. More and more states are choosing to strengthen national sovereignty and pursue independent domestic and foreign policies and their own model of development. All are striving to build a new, more equitable architecture of international economic relations, to contribute to global processes, and to expand a network of partnerships on the basis of mutual benefit, respect, and consideration for one another’s interests.“
Mikhail Myasnikovich: “The key factor for future development is investment activity. There is a need for an all-union import-substitution programme. Technological sovereignty calls for the resolution of large-scale tasks for the development of electronics, machine-tool engineering, the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, the creation of chemical and biological enterprises, and high technologies. We must determine sources of financing and mechanisms of motivation to this end.“
Participants
The Forum was attended by more than 2,700 participants and media representatives from Russia and 59 countries and territories.
High-ranking officials in attendance at the Forum included the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and President of Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov.
Also taking part in the event were Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Igor Petrishenko, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin, First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Adylbek Kasymaliev, and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk.
Nine ministers attended the Forum and included:
Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Nikolay Shulginov, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Almasadam Satkaliyev, Minister of Energy of Kyrgyz Republic Taalaibek Ibraev, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Migration of Kyrgyz Republic Kudaibergen Bazarbaev, Minister of Economy and Commerce of Kyrgyz Republic Daniyar Amangeldiev, Minister of Justice of Kyrgyz Republic Ayaz Baetov, Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Nicaragua Ivan Adolfo Acosta Montalvan, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Chervyakov, Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus Irina Kostevich, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Belarus Viktor Karankevich, and Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus Andrey Ivanets.
Heads of international organizations and associations in attendance at the Forum included:
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary General ZhangMing, Eurasian Economic Union Court President Erna Hayriyan, Executive Secretary of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly Sergey Pospelov, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the CIS Electric Power Council Taras Kupchikov, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States Sergey Lebedev, and State Secretary of the Union State Dmitry Mezentsev.
Executive Secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) Felix Ramon Plasencia Gonzlez delivered a video message during the session.
Thirteen head diplomats also visited the event.
The Forum was attended by a large delegation from Indonesia that included Special Advisor to the Minister on Strategy on Acceleration of Energy Transition Implementation and Development of Energy Infrastructure, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia Ego Syahrial, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Indonesia to the Russian Federation JoseAntonio Morato Tavares, Regent of the Government of Minahasa Royke Octavian Roring, Governor of North Sulawesi Olly Dondokambey, and Mayor of Manado Andrei Angouw.
In total, the event was visited by representatives of official delegations from 38 countries and territories.
More than 550 business representatives from approximately 400 companies took part in the Forum.
EEF 2023 Partner Country
The Republic of Indonesia served as Forum partner country with a series of EEF 2023 events featuring the participation of representatives of the country’s authorities and business community. Participants in the EAEU-Indonesia Business Dialogue considered priority tasks for deepening cooperation and discussed the creation of sustainable infrastructure, the enhancement of supply chains, the development of digital initiatives, and the elimination of non-tariff barriers to trade. The business dialogue continued in business breakfast and B2B events with a networking session and bilateral meetings between companies.
Green Eurasia International Climate Competition
Winners of the Green Eurasia International Climate Competition received their awards at the Forum. The competition was held by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects in conjunction with the Eurasian Economic Commission and featured 10 categories: Green energy and energy efficiency, Clean industry, Sustainable development in agriculture, Low-carbon transport, Green construction, Green finance, Effective waste management, An environmental culture and public involvement in the climate agenda, Monitoring of the environment and climate, Government policy in low-carbon development. Projects proposed as part of the competition were evaluated by a panel of experts from the professional community.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Mher Grigoryan, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk, and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Igor Petrishenko were in attendance at the ceremony.
Agreements
The Youth Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission and the Council of Young Diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation signed a programme of cooperation.
MGIMO of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarusian State University, Belarusian State Economic University, Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic named after K. Dikambaev, and Yerevan State University signed a Consortium agreement on Eurasian integration.
MediaPartners
31 media outlets served as partners for the event.
Armenia: Armenpress, ArmInfo, the NovostiNK online publication, the newspaper Noev Kovcheg Belarus: BELTA, PrimePress
Kazakhstan: DKNews, Kazinform, and television channel 24KZ Kyrgyz
Republic: ElTR TV, Akchabar, the newspaper AiF-Kyrgyz Republic, Komsomolskaya Pravda Kyrgyz Republic, the News-Asia Central Asian news portal, Kabar KNIA, and the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Corporation of the Kyrgyz Republic
Russia: TASS, RIA Novosti, Federal Press, Interfax, TV BRICS, NEWS.ru, Parlamentskaya Gazeta, Mir, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Lenta.ru, Gazeta.ru, Secret Firmy, and Sputnik
Iran: IranPress
ForumOperator
The Forum was operated by the Roscongress Foundation, a socially oriented non-financial development institution and a major organizer of nationwide and international conventions, exhibitions, and business, public, youth, sporting, and cultural events.
