Armenia calls for non-discriminatory energy pricing in EAEU

MOSCOW. KAZINFORM Energy pricing on the common oil, gas or electricity markets of the Eurasian Economic Union should be based on a non-discriminatory principle, Armenia Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his address to the EAEU heads of state in connection with the launch of Armenia presidency in the union in 2019, BelTA reports.

"One of the key areas of integration in the Eurasian Economic Union is energy as the basis for creating equal and non-discriminatory economic conditions in the EAEU member states. In this context, we should be actively working on the implementation of the programs to develop the common markets of oil, petroleum products and gas and also the common electricity market. There is a need to intensify efforts on a coordinated energy policy and to settle as early as possible the sensitive issue of energy and transit pricing in the EAEU member states on a non-discriminatory basis," Nikol Pashinyan said.

He also touched upon the EAEU digital agenda. "It is important to pool together the IT communities of the member states in order to promote the high-tech sector and fully implement the digital agenda of the union," he said. "The EAEU digital agenda should become one of the main tools for improving the union, making it more efficient and attractive. As part of the digital agenda we should consistently promote the initiatives aimed at deepening the integration and reaping direct benefits for the economies and citizens of the EAEU member states such as electronic accompanying documents, electronic labor exchanges and other similar platforms," he noted.

Among the most important tasks of the EAEU Nikol Pashinyan also called confidence-building within the union, the establishment of a product traceability system, diversification of the Eurasian transport infrastructure and transit corridors.