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The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) sees opportunities to increase trade with India and strengthen links between its transport corridors and regional connectivity routes across Asia, Eurasian Economic Commission Minister Daniyar Imanaliev said on Friday.
Speaking on the BRICS Summit, Imanaliev, Minister in charge of Integration and Macroeconomics at the Eurasian Economic Commission, said India is an important trading partner for the grouping. "This is one of the very important events these days that we are holding in New Delhi. For the Eurasian Economic Union, India is one of the main trade partners in the region, and we are usually analysing our opportunity to increase the volume of trade between the union countries or the member states of the union," Imanaliev told ANI. He also highlighted the scope for improving connectivity between transport corridors of the EAEU and other regional routes in the Asia-Pacific region, including those linking the grouping with India. "We are talking more about our economic transport corridors that should have connectivity with the other regional corridors in Asia and Pacific region, including the routes that connect our union with India," he said. The comments come as India and the EAEU are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement aimed at expanding trade and market access between the two sides. The EAEU comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Russia. India and the grouping signed the Terms of Reference for the proposed FTA in Moscow in August 2025. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, trade between India and the EAEU stood at USD 69 billion in 2024, registering a 7 per cent increase over the previous year. The first round of India-EAEU FTA negotiations was held in New Delhi from November 26 to 28, 2025. The Indian government continued to list the proposed agreement among FTAs under negotiation in July 2026. Connectivity has also remained an important part of India's engagement with the wider Eurasian and Central Asian region. At the India-Central Asia Dialogue in June 2025, the participating countries emphasised optimum use of the International North-South Transport Corridor to improve connectivity, while also noting Kazakhstan's initiative to develop the corridor's eastern branch. (ANI)
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