The years 2016 was a difficult year but nevertheless, encouraging economic signals were visible. This is the opinion of the member of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Tatyana Valovaya. Today, during the press conference held at the “Sputnik-Armenia” press club, Ms. Valovaya noted that the 2016 results are more encouraging than those of 2015. The volume of industrial products has grown by 0.2 percent in EaEU. The speaker is confident that the so-called locally produces products are often seen more in the EaEU market which are of a better quality. For Armenia, this indicator is about 7%.
There is a significant positive growth in the EaEU agricultural sector. Inflations have dropped twice by getting to 6%, which according to Tatyana Valovaya, creates a positive platform for further economic developments. The export of Armenia to EaEU countries amounted to 156 percent. Russia was the main market for export. Tatyana Valovaya assures that in 2016, active work was carried out with foreign partners. For example, agreements on mutual cooperation were signed with Singapore and Cambodia. The speaker assures that there is an active cooperation with American and European entrepreneurs too. EaEU is closely following the international political developments, particularly, the expected changes after the US presidential elections, hoping that there will be positive signals.
Despite everything, Tatyana Valovaya announces that EaEU is not an isolated structure and is in active cooperation with American and European businessmen. European businesses, incidentally, according to her, recently have raised a question raised about the mutual cooperation of European and Eurasian Commissions for its absence negatively affects their business interests. Tatyana Valovaya draws attention to the fact that the EaEU member countries in the international ranking tables have shown positive progress. This is explained by the improvement of domestic law for convenient mutual cooperation in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. The point that the president of Belarus did not attend the meeting of the presidents of the EaEU member state in St. Petersburg last year and did not ratify the common Customs Code, the speaker does not consider it a trouble.
She did not agree with the observation of Belarus journalist that the Belarus authorities consider that it restricts the opportunities of their country. “I have not heard such an official view. Moreover, the President of Belarus has signed a decree positively assessing the Code and has given instructions to study and to submit it to sign. It is the right of everyone to re-study the documents. We hope to have positive results and it will enter into force as of July 1, 2017, as it was expected,” said Tatyana Valovaya. Tatyana Valovaya considers normal and somewhere shares the view of the RA President that we are still in a waiting condition.
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President Sargsyan had expressed such a view late last year at the meeting with Chairman of Colleague of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Tigran Sargsyan. The point that in 2015 and in 2016, the volume of mutual trade between the EaEU member countries and the Union has dropped, Tatyana Valovaya explains that the period is difficult and the expectations are always more. At the same time, she brings an example that Armenia’s about 30% of export went to EaEU countries, “Armenia actually has received positive results, it is obvious that the Armenian businessmen have understood what EaEU is and how to work in this market. Results still to come.
