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Strategic partnership with West doesn’t mean absence of conflicts

“We certainly speak about a partnership, but strategic partnership does not mean that there are no conflicts,” chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission’s Board says

BERLIN, April 10. /ITAR-TASS/. Strategic partnership with the West does not mean the absence of conflicts, Viktor Khristenko, chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission’s Board, said at the East Forum that ended in Berlin on Thursday, April 10.

“When we speak about relations between Russia and the West, we certainly speak about a partnership, but strategic partnership does not mean that there are no conflicts,” Khristenko said, adding that it was important to “find compromises”.

“For example, all WTO member states have certain claims,” Khristenko said and noted that the World Trade Organisation existed to solve existing problems.

“The European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union are destined to cooperate,” Khristenko said.

The Eurasian Economic Commission is a supranational body of the Common Economic Space created by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The Common Economic Space has been operating since the start of 2012. A supranational regulatory body - the Eurasian Economic Commission - has been created and has become operational. It will take over the function of further deepening of integration.

Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the Agreement on the Eurasian Economic Commission on November 18, 2011. The Commission started working on January 1, 2012. The Commission coordinates integration processes within the Customs Union and the Unified Economic Space.

The Commission has a Council made up of deputy prime ministers, which will carry out overall supervision of integration processes, and a Board, a working body to which all member states will delegate their representatives.

The East Forum was held for the second time and has already won the reputation of a place where entrepreneurs from the East and the West can discuss pressing economic and political issues in order to reach an understanding and enhance cooperation.

This time, the forum was attended by more than 200 government officials and entrepreneurs from some 20 countries. A great deal of attention was paid to the situation in Ukraine and ways to resolve the crisis in that country.