The regular session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council was held in Almaty under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. First, the council session was held with a limited composition; then, the work continued with an expanded composition. The video recording ceremony of the session participants was also held.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the participants of the session and noted with regret that due to the emergency at the Bishkek thermal power plant, the Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Akylbek Usenbekov left for Bishkek this morning. "I am sure that the problem will be solved shortly. If necessary, we are ready to provide any help and support to eliminate all the consequences of the accident quickly.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Alikhan Smailov, for his warm welcome and for organizing today's event at a high level.

I hope that this year, we will be able to make significant progress in the framework of practical steps towards the implementation of the fundamental principles underlying the EAEU, taking into account the priorities set by the Armenian presidency, the development of the EAEU's international relations, the elimination of obstacles in the internal market, efforts to digitize and consolidate the IT communities of the member countries. for active development of high-tech sectors of the economy.

In addition, it is necessary to continue work on accelerating the process of accelerating the typical markets of electricity and energy resources.

Another critical element of economic cooperation is the development and modernization of transport infrastructure, the maximum use of the transit potential, and the geographical location of the EAEU.

It is no less important to ensure stable access to high-quality and safe food for the population.

Taking this opportunity, I want to mention once again that the development of equal cooperation within the framework of EAEU should ultimately serve to create comfortable conditions for doing business and fully realize human potential.

I expect the cooperation and support of EAEU member states in the practical implementation of Armenia's presidency initiatives in 2024, summarized in my address to the heads of EAEU states.

Before passing the floor to the chairman of the board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, allow me to wish you, Bakitzhan Abdir, success in your responsible position.

I am sure your activities will contribute to developing and implementing agreed decisions aimed at further growth of the EAEU potential; you can confidently count on our support in this process."

After the discussions, a session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council was held with an expanded composition, during which Prime Minister Pashinyan also made a speech. Nikol Pashinyan, in particular, noted:

"Dear members of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council,
Dear participants of the session,

First, I would like to thank our Kazakh colleagues for the warm welcome and organization of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council session and the Digital Forum. I am confident that the discussions and conclusions of the "Digital Almaty 2024" forum will serve the large-scale implementation of digital technologies and innovations and will be helpful and in demand for forecasts and movements in this direction.

I welcome the head of the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Abdulla Nigmati Aripov; your participation once again confirms our readiness to cooperate with observer states within the framework of programs and projects of mutual interest.

With satisfaction, the analysis of the leading economic indicators and the starting points of the interaction between the member states shows that the EAEU countries are confidently moving along the path of stable economic growth.

Thus, in 2023, the trade turnover of the Republic of Armenia with EAEU countries increased by 39% compared to the previous year and amounted to about 7.8 billion dollars. In addition, exports increased by 40.8%, and imports increased by 37.5%.

At this stage, strengthening industrial cooperation, creating new business connections, and establishing cross-border trade in digital services and data exchange should be considered among the priority tasks of the EAEU.

The institutional environment for the development of the unified digital space of the EAEU already exists, but, in our opinion, ensuring the proper functioning of the general processes of information exchange between member states, as well as the phase transition from the EAEU integrated information system to a more modern and efficient model of interaction on the digital platform, will require a separate discussion and detailed processing.

The timely and seamless exchange of information will allow us to solve a significant part of the problems arising while moving goods and services in the EAEU and at least reduce most administrative obstacles, exceptions, and restrictions in the internal market.

Obviously, and at the same time legitimate, e-commerce is developing much faster than the legislative regulation of this field. The road map for creating favorable conditions for the development of e-commerce in the EAEU is a balanced program for the development of the industry, designed to solve the problem of the lack of a regulated system of legal norms.

The potential primary beneficiary of the legal mechanisms for regulating electronic commerce is our country's business. Along with deciphering the benefits and advantages for business, the citizens of our countries should also feel the practical benefits of the free movement of goods, services, and labor implemented in the EAEU.

Dear participants of the meeting,
Dear Colleagues,

Parallel to the discussion of cooperation issues in the field of high technologies, the directions of interaction for which it is necessary to form common markets are at our attention.

Even though 2025 is planned to start the operation of the common markets for gas, oil, and petroleum products, at the moment, it is evident that there is no straightforward, unified approach among the member states in terms of prospects for building and developing a common energy market. Creating a common energy market will provide several key advantages for all EAEU member countries, without exception, contributing to the sustainable development of economies, improving the population's well-being, and strengthening energy security. Considering this, our dialogue should be aimed at finding compromise agreements.

We also welcome the activation of the development of mutually beneficial joint projects implemented and planned within the framework of the current EAEU agenda in the transport field, which, without a doubt, will contribute to the expansion of trade and economic ties at the level of cooperation.

In the end, I would like to note that the Armenian side will continue to make active efforts within the framework of its presidency in EAEU bodies in favor of initiatives aimed at the practical progress of the four freedoms and for the benefit of improving the living standards of the citizens of our countries."

During the session, issues of cooperation within the framework of EAEU related to e-commerce, customs regulations, aviation, risk management, transport, agriculture, railway infrastructure, and multimodal transportation were discussed.

The heads of governments signed the documents and protocols agreed during the session. The next session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council will be held in Belarus in May.