On November 7-12 the press center of Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) was hosting an EEC and Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) School «EAEU: Integration for All. Outcomes and Perspectives until 2025».
On November 7–12 the press center of Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) was hosting an EEC and Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) School «EAEU: Integration for All. Outcomes and Perspectives until 2025».
Andrey Kortunov, Director General, RIAC, and Ivan Timofeev, Director of Programs, RIAC, made speeches at the opening of the School and the following press-conference.
Andrey Kortunov mentioned in his speech that Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) treaty was signed in rough conditions, when many other integration projects were failing. «It is necessary to raise competence of the expert and journalist community of the 5 countries in order to mainstream their attention not only to the difficulties of the Union formation but also to the opportunities the Eurasian economic integration suggests», emphasized Andrey Kortunov, Director General, RIAC.
Ivan Timofeev gave his point of view that EAEU blurred image often results from the experts being unaware of the Union operational principles. The majority of the Eurasian economic integration competent specialists are in EEC, which is common for integration associations. A similar situation was early in the European Union. According to Ivan Timofeev, the most vital task for the Commission in the public spotlight now is the cross-EAEU-country expert network formation.
During the following press-conference RIAC representatives answered the questions on EAEU enlargement and further integration in the Union asked by School participants and the journalists.
Young scientists, experts, and journalists from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia whose area of interest focuses on Eurasian economic integration attended the School sessions.
All participants had a task to prepare a foresight of the Eurasian economic union development scenario — to define development trends, risks, and possible positive outcomes of the integration.
On November 11, 2016, Tigran Sarkisyan, Chairman, EEC Board, Andrey Kortunov, Director General, RIAC, and Karina Melikyan, Press-Secretary, EEC, were present at the School closing ceremony.
The participants reflected on the outcomes and shared their impressions and the knowledge they obtained in the week course of the School with RIAC and EEC staff.
Both Andrey Kortunov and Tigran Sarkisyan thanked the participants and noted their solid grounding.
«The mission of the School is not only to provide an opportunity to get information first-hand form EEC management and staff, but also to help understand the logic of EAEU creation», noted Tigran Sarkisyan. He also shared his vision of the Union future, «in order to be competitive we need to produce not just new goods, but also knowledge. It is vital to combine the scientific potential of the EAEU member-counties research institutes and laboratories. That being done, the Union will enter a new stage of its development».
Andrey Kortunov thanked the participants of the School and the EEC management, he also noted the practical importance of the event, the outcomes of which will lead to a successful development of integration processes in Eurasian region. «The School provides knowledge and practical experience, as well as an opportunity to view the current events on an expert basis», stated Andrey Kortunov.
EEC and RIAC School «EAEU: Integration for All. Outcomes and Perspectives until 2025»
