Today the Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev took part in the opening of the annual international forum "Eurasian Week" and the discussion of the most actual issues of further development of the EAEU.

Within the framework of the speech Bakytzhan Sagintayev greeted the participants and expressed confidence that the platform of the forum would promote both the development of new business contacts and deepening of the relationship between the public sector and the business community. In addition, the forum will be an important tool for economic development, investment and export potential of the EAEU countries.

Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Tigran Sargsyan, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Shuvalov, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of International Economic Integration and Reforms of the Republic of Armenia Vache Gabrielyan, President of the International Road Transport Union (IRU) Christian Labrot, Head of Central and Eastern Europe, Microsoft Philippe Rogge took part in the main plenary session "Competitiveness in a Changing World: New Models, Technologies, Forms of Management".

According to the voiced data, the national economies of the member countries of the Union were able to adapt favorably to the new realities. Since the beginning of this year, there has been a positive dynamics in the growth of key indicators: the volume of foreign trade of the Union countries in the first half of the year increased by almost 27.8%, the GDP growth of the EAEU in the first quarter of 2017 was 0.8%.

Favorable internal conditions promote the growth of trade between the states of the Union and with third countries. For example, after the opening of mutual duty-free access for goods with Vietnam, trade with this country significantly intensified.

The first experience of the Union in this direction creates a solid basis for expanding trade and economic cooperation with foreign countries. Negotiations on free trade agreements with Israel, Serbia and Iran are already underway.

Also, the project of the “Unified Digital Space of the EAEU” is now actively developing, which should become one of the key elements supporting the free movement of goods, services, people and capital.

At the same time, the state program "Digital Kazakhstan" which is currently being developed with the aim to diversify and realize the potential in the basic sectors of the economy, stimulate entrepreneurship and create industries of a new technological order, will make its contribution to the work in the EAEU.

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The annual International Exhibition Forum "Eurasian Week", organized by the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Eurasian Economic Commission, is being held in Astana on August 24-26.

To participate in the forum, representatives of government bodies and businessmen from 42 countries arrived in the capital. The program includes more than 30 discussion activities in 13 sectors of the economy, strategically important for the market of the EAEU.