Treaty on Eurasian Economic Union presented in WTO
The meeting was attended by the delegations from all the EAEU member states. The delegation of Kazakhstan was headed by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the WTO, Ambassador Zhanar Aitzhanova, MFA press service informs.
In her address Ambassador Aitzhanova noted that for the first time the idea of creating the Eurasian Economic Union was announced by the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev during his speech at the Moscow State University in 1994.
Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan briefly presented the stages of the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union, emphasizing that the process of forming the contractual base of the EAEU took place in parallel with the process of Kazakhstan's accession to the WTO. In this regard, all documents adopted within the framework of the EAEU, fully correspond to the commitments of Kazakhstan to the WTO, as well as comply with the rules and regulations of the WTO.
During the meeting the Permanent Representative Zhanar Aitzhanova replied to the questions posed by the delegations of the EU, US and Ukraine regarding the implementation by Kazakhstan of tariff commitments to reduce import customs duties, introduction of electronic declaration of import-export operations in Kazakhstan and ensure compliance with the requirements of the customs legislation of the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as transit to Kazakhstan of goods prohibited for importation into the territory of the Russian Federation.
Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan underlined significant economic benefits of Kazakhstan's membership in the Eurasian Economic Union. In particular, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and the EAEU countries in 2017 increased by 30% compared with 2016, with exports from Kazakhstan to the EAEU countries increased by 34%, imports to Kazakhstan from the EAEU countries - by 27%. In addition, Ambassador Aitzhanova emphasized that the creation of the EAEU market, which is more than 180 million people, ensured an increase in foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector of the economy and the service sector of Kazakhstan.
During the meeting WTO member countries paid particular interest the issues related to the EAEU policy in the field of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, customs, protection of intellectual property rights and customs administration.
The EAEU market is 183 million consumers and a common market for goods, services, capital and labor with an aggregate GDP of about 1.8 trillion. US dollars. The EAEU ranks first in the world in oil production, second in gas and mineral fertilizers production, third place in wheat cultivation, and fifth in steel production.