ST PETERSBURG, 25 December (BelTA) – Given its basic economic principles he Eurasian Economic Union should not correlate with political ambitions, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in St. Petersburg on 25 December, BelTA has learned.

It is symbolic that Armenia will hold chairmanship in the EAEU in 2024 Nikol Pashinyan noted. Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the EAEU Treaty, which is based on the fundamental postulate that the EAEU is an economic association that should not have a political or even geopolitical agenda. This is how Armenia continues to perceive it and is developing economic cooperation "seeking to suppress all attempts to politicize the Eurasian integration."

"The EAEU and its economic principles should not correlate with political ambitions. Basic freedoms of trade and integration cannot and should not be restricted for political reasons. This will definitely corrode the fundamental principles of the union," Nikol Pashinyan stressed. In this regard, the Armenian prime minister welcomed the EAEU-Iran free trade agreement.

At the same time, he drew attention to the unresolved fundamental issues that have accumulated in the EAEU. According to him, there is a need to achieve fundamental decisions on the approaches, principles and mechanisms of the functioning of common energy markets in the EAEU. "In this context, we are ready to show a flexible approach to ensuring a balance of interests of the EAEU member states on the unresolved issues in order to harness the advantages and potential of the common energy markets in the EAEU," Nikol Pashinyan said. He also proposed to expand areas of cooperation in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Another fundamentally important issue, according to the prime minister, is the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. This area is of particular relevance and opens up new opportunities for more rapid collection and effective analysis of economic data. Responsible use of artificial intelligence capabilities can serve as an impetus for the development of economic cooperation in the EAEU.

"If we manage to ensure transport, transit and administrative seamlessness through modern technologies, we will get a unique opportunity for the development of relations between the EAEU and interested third countries," Nikol Pashinyan said.