Nazarbayev supports idea of big Eurasian partnership
At the roundtable summit, President Nazarbayev backed the idea of a big Eurasian partnership format, combining the Eurasian Economic Union, the One Belt, One Road initiative, the SCO and the ASEAN, proposed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the forum earlier.
"I would like to express support to Vladimir Putin's speech and note the important role the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) plays in that process. Of course, during the economic crisis, it [EAEU] went through certain difficulties, but this year its trade has increased for over 30%. This is a huge market - 180 million people. In this connection, the idea of creation of a common economic space - a big Eurasian partnership - takes on a new meaning. The Silk Road Economic belt can beneficially connect the SCO, the EAEU and the EU and make this territory prosperous," Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed.
As a reminder, Nursultan Nazarbayev is currently in Beijing to attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. It brought together leaders of 29 countries and heads of 3 international organizations, namely the UN, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.