Eurasian Economic Commission makes debut at European Parliament

BRUSSELS. June 28. KAZINFORM Representatives of the Eurasian Economic Commission on Thursday attended a meeting of the EU-Russian Parliamentary Cooperation Committee at the European Parliament for the first time, Andrei Klimov, the commission's Russian co-chairman and deputy head of the Federation Council Committee for International Affairs, said.

"Rustam Akberdin, who represents the Eurasian Economic Commission's board, and Mikhail Yevdokimov, director of the first CIS department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, introduced the Eurasian Economic Community as an international economic organization and presented its most interesting projects," Klimov went on to say. He added that the European deputies showed interest in the project. They asked questions which turned out to be too many for the two and a half hour presentation.

"We agreed to postpone a discussion of some themes until our next meeting," Klimov emphasized.

Klimov said that the meeting at the European Parliament had dispelled several European myths about the Eurasian Economic Community. The most widespread stereotypes are that the Eurasian Economic Community is "an attempt to recreate the USSR" or that Russia is forcefully dragging some countries, like Ukraine, for example, into the organization, Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass

The Russian lawmaker said that European deputies would have a chance to get first-hand information about the Eurasian Economic Community integration project This is particularly valuable now when the national bodies of Russia are transferring some questions to the competence of supra-national bodies of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

He also said that Russia was interested in the integration experience and the legal foundation of the European Union.

"We closely study and use their elements in laying down principles and regulations for the Eurasian Economic Community," Klimov concluded.