ASTANA, January 1. /TASS/. The presidency of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has passed from Belarus to Kazakhstan. Representatives of Kazakhstan will coordinate the governing bodies of this international organization in 2026, and Astana will also host a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in May with the participation of the states’ leaders.

The presidency is passing to Astana in an extremely difficult period marked by turbulence in the global economy, Kazakh political analyst Talgat Kaliyev said in an interview with TASS. “The transformation of the entire global economy, of the paradigm it followed since World War Two, is currently taking place. These are global trends: the global trading system based on market division and labor specialization is all in motion and about to undergo transformation. We don't yet know where it will find its balance. It's important to be able to anticipate these trends,” he said.

Over its more than ten-year history, the EAEU has been shaped by “grave external stresses,” Kaliyev noted. “Since the two key economies of the EAEU, Kazakhstan and Russia, strongly depend on global prices for energy and natural resources, we have to constantly adjust our economic policy to the changing landscape. Therefore, the EAEU now faces the task of finding its place in the emerging global trade and economic system. On one hand, it needs to modernize its economies, and on the other, acquire a new identity. The tasks are extremely complex and ambitious,” he explained.

External factors will continue to influence the EAEU in 2026, the political scientist said, adding that member countries should maintain economic stability. “Much will depend on the dynamics of the Ukraine-Russia peace process mediated by the United States or other countries, if it emerges next year, as the sanctions standoff between the West and Russia also has a serious impact on the state of the EAEU,” he stressed.

Key tasks for Astana

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who assumed the chairmanship of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in 2026, stated at a late-2025 meeting in St. Petersburg that the world has entered the era of artificial intelligence. He emphasized the need to actively integrate this technology across the Union's activities, including forecasting trade flows, assessing customs duty impacts, and monitoring member countries’ legislation for compliance with the EAEU Treaty. He also proposed issuing a joint statement on the responsible development of AI in the EAEU during the Eurasian Economic Forum, scheduled to be held in the republic this year.

Tokayev expressed the opinion that the EAEU can claim the role of a global transport and logistics hub, adding that he sees the need to develop logistics, as well as strengthen industrial cooperation, since “additional opportunities for the production and export of industrial goods in the EAEU countries are estimated at $67 billion, according to analysts at the Eurasian Development Bank.”

Moreover, the Kazakh leader noted the need to eliminate artificial restrictions on the movement of citizens within the EAEU and kilometer-long queues of freight transport at the borders, calling on member countries to strictly adhere to mutual obligations. He also recalled that free trade agreements between the EAEU and Mongolia, as well as economic partnership agreements with the UAE and Indonesia, were signed in 2025. It is necessary to further expand the Union's cooperation with Arab states, countries of the Global South, Southeast Asia, and Africa, Tokayev added.

The EAEU currently consists of five countries: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. The presidency rotates among them annually.