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"Eurasian Economic Perspective" forum to open in Astana

The Russian delegation to the forum will be led by State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin

ASTANA, October 6. /TASS/. The international forum "Eurasian Economic Perspective" will open in the Kazakhstani capital Astana on Tuesday. The Russian delegation to the forum will be led by State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin.

Chairman of State Duma’s Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Ties with Compatriots Leonid Slutsky told journalists earlier that among issues discussed at the forum will be cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Silk Road Economic Belt project. "Issues of bringing closer and linking EAEU with construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt will be discussed," he said. According to Slutsky, "thus the mechanism of inter-parliamentary dialogue between EAEU and China will be launched on issues of cooperation in the interests of forming a common economic space."

The Russian delegation at the forum will be joined by parliamentarians from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, China; leaders of the Eurasian Economic Commission, SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Secretariat; and heads of the regions of Russia, Kazakhstan and China, through which the Silk Road will be laid.

On May 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed an agreement on cooperation in the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt project

The agreement envisages "linking" the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt. "In fact, we are talking about entering the new level of partnership in the future that envisages common economic space on the Eurasian continent," Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks.

The Silk Road Economic Belt is a project of creating a transport, energy and trade corridor between the countries of Asia and Europe. The idea of constructing the Silk Road was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2013.

Eurasian Economic Union

The Treaty on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union was signed by the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on May 29, 2014 in Astana.

The agreement is the basic document defining the accords between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan for creating the Eurasian Economic Union for the free movement of goods, services, capital and workforce and conducting coordinated, agreed or common policies in key sectors of the economy, such as energy, industry, agriculture and transport.

The agreement stipulates the transition of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to the next stage of integration after the Customs Union and the common economic space. Kyrgyzstan and Armenia also joined the EAEU.