Meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council

The talks began with a restricted attendance meeting that included President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan Pashinyan NikolPrime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko Lukashenko AlexanderPresident of Belarus, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Tokayev Kassym-JomartPresident of the Republic of Kazakhstan, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov Japarov SadyrPresident of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission Board Mikhail Myasnikovich.

The talks in the expanded format were joined, via videoconference, by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev Mirziyoyev ShavkatPresident of Uzbekistanas the head of an EAEU observer state. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev Aliyev IlhamPresident of Azerbaijanand President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon Rahmon EmomaliPresident of Tajikistan(via videoconference) were also invited to join the talks.

Also attending the meeting were Chairman of the Executive Committee, Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States Sergei Lebedev, and SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends and colleagues!

We are starting our expanded format meeting now, as agreed. With your permission, I would like to begin with my remarks and then give the floor to each of you. After that, we will sum up our discussion and move on to the documents.

We have just completed our restricted attendance meeting where we exchanged views on important aspects of our association's activities and outlined strategic goals for deepening integration cooperation. And now, as I said, we will continue with the delegations joining us.

I am pleased to note that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is attending today's meeting as a guest for the first time. I would like to welcome him and the entire Azerbaijani delegation, as well as President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the head of an EAEU observer state, who is joining us online; Mr President, good afternoon; and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Mr President, welcome, can you see and hear us? Thank you for being with us today. I would like to express my confidence that your countries will be expanding productive and multifaceted cooperation with the EAEU.

It is symbolic that our meeting is taking place shorty before Eurasian Economic Union Day on May 29, established by decision of the Supreme Council last year to mark the member states' shared commitment to the further development of integration.

I note with satisfaction that cooperation continues to strengthen within the EAEU, which is consistently asserting itself as one of the independent and self-sufficient centres of the emerging multipolar world. The five member states invariably interact on the principles of mutual benefit and respect for each other's interests, focusing on ensuring sustainable economic growth and improving the well-being of their citizens.

Russia's chairmanship of the EAEU this year is aimed precisely at these key goals. At the same time, we will jointly strive to achieve an equally high level of development within our association.

To be continued.