The past two years have seen significant progress in developing a favorable international image of Kyrgyzstan. It shuddered slightly in October of this year, but the last two months have again dramatically made a difference in order of things that have started to happen in Kyrgyzstan. The new government of the republic is committed to stability, openness and honesty, and the dynamics in the solution of the most urgent problems does not take long to change. This doesn't go unnoticed by the international community. Kyrgyzstan again needs to gain the image of a reliable country in its partners with a stable socio-political situation, as well as an economically attractive one.
Despite the changes in power, Kyrgyzstan is still committed to its principled and strategic foreign policy and external economic course. Here is a question of cooperation, interaction with the growing union, which should contribute to the development of all member states of this association. The coming years will be decisive for the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in terms of its establishment and further growth.
On Dec.11, Acting President of Kyrgyzstan, Speaker of the Parliament Talant Mamytov participated in a regular meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC) via videoconference.
The meeting, chaired by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, considered strategic directions for the development of Eurasian economic integration, the main directions of the Union's international activities for 2021 and other relevant issues.
According to Ruslan Pokrovsky, an expert of the Institute for Strategic Studies in the World Economics (St. Petersburg), "Kyrgyzstan has always taken an active position in these issues, in the development of investment attractiveness. But it should be emphasized that COVID-19 has made serious adjustments in the EAEU in the short term. The world economy is experiencing global difficulties and also requires a serious reset, not to mention the national economies of states with little economic resources. The EAEU was created in order to be a real bulwark in overcoming difficulties in a crisis situation. The Union should seriously work out a set of anti-crisis measures. Otherwise, the union's authority will be severely undermined.
Now is an important time for the union to be tested. Meanwhile, the Union’s member should also make great efforts to ensure that the work within the EAEU is established year after year. For Kyrgyzstan, for example, the EAEU has always been and remains a priority for further cooperation and development.
"Participation in the EAEU is a priority of Kyrgyzstan's foreign policy. We always stand for an open and constructive dialogue on the whole range of issues within the Union," Acting President of Kyrgyzstan, Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh Talant Mamytov noted.
The acting president noted the main issue of the meeting - the adoption of a document on the strategic direction of Eurasian economic integration, which will constitute the development agenda of the Union and determine the main directions of work for the next 5 years.
"The Strategy includes the initiative of the Kyrgyz Republic on the introduction of mechanisms and programs for targeted financing within the existing development institutions. It envisages addition of new approaches to the already existing ways of financing by our regional development institutions. I am confident that this initiative will play a key role in narrowing the gaps in the level of development of our national economies and integration as a whole.
Today, the most urgent issue for the Kyrgyz side is also the formation of a common gas market. This issue is one of the most important priorities of our cooperation and one of the essential components in ensuring energy security of our countries. Given the peculiarities of gas supplies to the Kyrgyz Republic, I believe that in this matter we need to provide a non-discriminatory approach to access to gas transportation infrastructure regardless of the country of origin in order to meet the domestic needs of the member states of the Union,” the acting president of Kyrgyzstan said.
Talant Mamytov noted with satisfaction that the members achieved positive results in the implementation of a common foreign trade policy of the Union, the basis of which is the customs-tariff and non-tariff regulation, as well as measures to protect the domestic market.
He also noted one of the main principles of the Union - the freedom of movement of labor, which is currently not only a social task within the EAEU, but also a challenge for all mankind.
"In order to protect manufacturers of the Eurasian Economic Union from unfair imports from third countries, all our measures should not only favorably affect them, but also take into account the conditions of competition in the domestic markets of our countries. At the same time, the approaches should be regulated and aimed at avoiding legal uncertainty. I would also like to point out that various restrictions related to the spread of coronavirus infection and forced closure of borders, as we are all well aware, have been the main reason for the decrease in the economic activity of our countries. Under such conditions, it is extremely important to strengthen industrial and agro-industrial cooperation in our countries, which will ensure efficient post-crisis development of the Union's economy and unlock the high integration potential of the EAEU," the acting president said.
He also noted one of the main principles of the Union - the freedom of movement of labor, which is currently not only a social task within the EAEU, but also a challenge for all mankind.
"During the time of the Kyrgyz Republic's participation in the Union much has been done to improve workers' rights. The Kyrgyz side initiated the issues of social protection and provision of workers in the member states of the Union, as well as their families. The issues of social protection were most acute during the pandemic. In this regard, it is extremely important for us to revisit the issue of extending compulsory health insurance to family members of workers. Today, the situation with the spread of the coronavirus has led to a shortage of labor in the countries of our Union, including due to existing restrictions on movement. The Kyrgyz Republic is ready to discuss and create additional mechanisms of access to the EAEU labor market, taking into account the necessary epidemiological requirements," he assured.
Talant Mamytov also added the digitalization of the economies of the Union member states, the introduction of modern digital technologies is also becoming a priority today.
Continuing the theme, it must be recalled that the EAEU countries intend to create a unified automated system for selecting the most effective partners. This just might help stimulate the growth of investment in the country.
In opinion of political scientist Dmitri Kisurin, "X-hour comes for the EAEU. It is in the current complex and ambiguous situation that this union must show its efficiency. Now all members of this association are waiting for effective interaction, concrete and progressive development, without any barriers and disagreements. First of all, this process should provoke a wave of interested subjects and objects of economic relations to qualitative work, to serious production, namely leaving small commodity production. An industrial leap is necessary for the union to become a more effective association. Not all EAEU members have the potential to do this. But even a country such as Kyrgyzstan has something to offer. The search for investors is what is needed now. The mining industry and all related sectors are still underdeveloped in Kyrgyzstan. Agriculture is still at the level of local indicators. There is also a crisis in meat and dairy production, although in Soviet times the Kyrgyz Republic had high indicators in these sectors. My point is that it's time for Kyrgyzstan to straighten its shoulders and start taking its own production to a higher level; there is the potential and the basis for this. This is the new benchmark for the leadership of the Kyrgyz Republic.
It must be recognized that the potential development of each of the EAEU member states should be the main focus of the further strategic objectives of the union.
"All our joint initiatives to automate tax and customs procedures, to transfer permits and accompanying documents to digital media, and to introduce a system of marking and traceability of goods should be accelerated. Introduction of these systems will allow counteracting shadow economy and ensure significant inflow of funds into the budget. In this regard, I would like to mention the recently signed Agreement with the Russian Federation on development of the tax administration system in the Kyrgyz Republic, within the framework of which we expect to start practical work soon," Talant Mamytov noted.
The Eurasian Economic Union is working toward its own development. All processes are being put in order, interaction mechanisms are being established. But most importantly, there is an active dialogue between all members of this association, which should yield results in the future. The creation of such an association is only a small part of the deal. All the processes, these or those mechanisms by which the EAEU should work with full efficiency are just at the stage of perfection.
Kabar News Agency
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