Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed the importance of expanding cooperation between national payment systems of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries for lowering economic risks, TASS reports.
"A consistent reduction of economic risks for mutual trade created by the use of foreign currencies and payment systems seems to be a relevant task. We assume that partners connecting to the financial messaging system of the Bank of Russia and the development of interworking of national payment systems are essential conditions for stable payment relations inside the Union," he said in a message addressed to heads of EAEU members on the occasion of Russia’s chairmanship in the integration in 2023 published on the website of the Kremlin on Monday.
The harmonization of financial markets "should create favorable conditions for making sure that the capital of countries remain inside the integration and is invested in national economies," Putin noted. "Moreover, we consider it reasonable to explore the possibility of establishing a Eurasian rating agency that would provide rating instruments for servicing the growing economic activity on the territory of our macroregion," he added.
Russia considers it expedient to begin drafting cooperation plans for the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries for the period through to 2045, Putin said in an address to EAEU colleagues published on the Kremlin’s website on Monday.
"We believe it would be expedient <…> to begin drafting new long-term planning documents this year that would determine the main vectors of integration cooperation for the period to 2030 and 2045," the address reads. "We will do our best to promote further deepening of integration in all areas: in politics, the economy, industry, finance and technology," the president pointed out.
"Obviously, developing the technological potential of EAEU member states, attaining genuine independence and self-sufficiency in this sphere should become one of the most important strategic priorities of our joint work. We propose that we pool efforts for developing and introducing advanced scientific and technological solutions in such leading economic sectors as the automotive and chemical industries, transport engineering, microelectronics, the aerospace industry, shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals, digital eco-systems, alternative energy, agricultural equipment manufacture, bioengineering and seed production," Putin said.
"One of the key aspects of integration cooperation is the training of qualified personnel and the creation of new jobs," the Russian leader noted. "The Eurasian labor market should meet the ambitious challenges of developing high-tech industries and introducing digital technologies into production. In this regard, it is important to strive for harmonization of national science and technology programs, development of common educational and professional standards, and the launch of joint training programs and common textbooks in technical subjects and the humanities," he stated.
Moreover, the practice of inter-university internships and academic exchanges should be developed, Putin added. "And in general, humanities issues - education, culture and sport - should not remain on the periphery of our integration. Of course, at the same time, we need to be more active in popularizing the Eurasian Economic Union, its achievements, and opportunities for all the citizens of our countries," he said.
