The Presidents discussed in detail the countries’ interaction in connection with their future accession into the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Vladimir Putin said at the final press conference that the EurAsEC members could ensure their countries’ entry into the WTO on acceptable terms for their national economies and producers if they coordinate their efforts.
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, re-elected as EurAsEC’s chairman for the second term, said that the participants examined about 20 issues at the meeting. The main result of the meeting was the endorsement of a programme of priority trends in EurAsEC’s activities for 2003–2006, including the formation of a common customs space, coordination of the timeframe for accession into the WTO, development of energy cooperation, establishment of a transport union and a common agricultural market, and migration policy.
The participants also discussed some bilateral issues and the fight against drug trafficking. It was decided to instruct the organisations and services concerned to examine and approve joint measures aimed at preventing illegal drug trafficking.
The Presidents endorsed the status of the EurAsEC court and discussed prospects for cooperation in the sphere of energy infrastructure, in particular, they decided to complete the construction of the Sangtudinskaya hydropower plant in Tajikistan.
At the meeting Armenia was admitted as an observer to EurAsES.