News & Events in Belarus
Lukashenko outlines EAEU’s priorities for next five years
SAINT PETERSBURG, 21 December (BelTA) – At the St. Petersburg meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko outlined the EAEU’s key strategic priorities for the upcoming five-year period, BelTA has learned.
The first priority is industrial growth and technological advancement. “In the new five-year cycle, the EAEU member states will focus on building a common cooperation space and on intensifying technological development,” stated Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The Belarusian leader identified agricultural cooperation as a second critical area. He urged to take decisive steps to reduce the sector’s import dependency to a negligible statistical level.
“The agricultural sector of the EAEU can ensure domestic food security while also taking a tangible position in the global food market. This requires perseverance and strict technological discipline,” emphasized Aleksandr Lukashenko. “If we also develop our own high-yielding varieties of key crops within the EAEU and improve our livestock breeding, it will become very difficult for third countries to compete with us.”
The third priority area, the president of Belarus stated, is strengthening transport and logistics potential. He noted this is a key focus for cooperation with EAEU observer states.
“This year, work has continued on developing Eurasian transport corridors and routes, with a strong focus on digitalizing transport and enabling seamless logistics,” he asserted.
The Belarusian leader stressed the need for close oversight of related decision-making within the Eurasian Economic Commission.
The fourth area has to do with the EAEU’s internal market. “We will persistently work toward its effective and harmonious operation in the interests of our member states’ economies and anticipate further steps toward a common EAEU commodity exchange,” the head of state said.
The fifth priority is digital transformation. “Throughout the year, we have closely monitored the implementation of the roadmap for creating favorable conditions for e-commerce and developing modern commodity distribution channels. There have been challenges along the way. We have discussed them during the narrow-format meeting. We are addressing these challenges and, wherever possible, advancing on this path,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
“The topic of digital signatures is fundamental for digitalization in the EAEU. This is especially relevant for public procurement. This market in the EAEU is projected to exceed its 2024 level of over $143 billion by the end of 2025,” he emphasized.
According to the president, the digital environment must make a tangible contribution to the competitiveness of the EAEU economies, not create additional barriers within the EAEU
The sixth area specifically highlighted was the international agenda. During its chairmanship, Belarus focused on the EAEU’s external positioning. The 4th Eurasian Economic Forum was successfully held in Minsk, and work continued on building a network of preferential trade agreements with third countries.
“An economic partnership agreement with the United Arab Emirates and an interim trade agreement with Mongolia were signed in Minsk in June,” the head of state recalled. “Today, we welcome our new partner, the Republic of Indonesia, with whom an agreement is to be signed on the sidelines of this summit.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko highlighted the task of finding new partners, stating that many friendly nations in Africa and Asia offer trade relations that could strengthen the economic potential of the EAEU.
“The voice of the Eurasian Economic Union is increasingly heard on international platforms, from Geneva to New York. The key directions for the EAEU’s international activities in 2026, approved today, are designed to accelerate this process,” he emphasized.
The seventh dimension is related to the humanitarian sphere. “This year, we have sought to enrich our agenda with social and humanitarian projects, and key directions for cooperation in sports have been approved,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
He suggested increasing focus on mutually beneficial cooperation in healthcare, education, culture, and information exchange.
“The most important goal of our work is to create a comfortable environment for our citizens. The strength of the EAEU is demonstrated in simple, tangible things: the absence of border queues, the freedom to obtain an education and have qualifications recognized, access to healthcare and affordable mobile roaming, and the ability to use traditional payment methods without undue restriction. We still have work to do here,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.
He acknowledged that not all objectives of the Belarusian presidency were fully realized but expressed confidence that many of the achievements would remain relevant, including for Kazakhstan as it assumes the EAEU presidency.
“With very little time remaining before the new year of 2026, I wish everyone here and all citizens of our countries health, peace, and prosperity, especially the peoples of these states,” Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded.
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