On May 14-15, 2016 Minsk hosted an international conference of the party of the European Left „The European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union. Confrontation or Competitive Cooperation?“

The participants of the conference discussed comprehensively the opportunities and perspectives of cooperation between EU and EEU. The political, economic and humanitarian aspects of cooperation and gaps between the EU and EEU were considered, as well as the role of the left parties and movements of the EU and the EEU in the creation of cooperation areas and ensuring social progress.

Conference participants noted that due to some objective and subjective reasons, the relationship between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is facing hard times. The policy of mutual sanctions does not serve to resolve the existing problems. This is a dead end track, which is substiantially damaging to both parties, and as a result it is the common people who suffer.

The participants believe that the normalisation of the situation requires a constructive dialogue between the parties, the search for approaches and solutions that will reorient the international relatins from confrontation towards mutually beneficial cooperation in the interests of peace and social progress. In particular, they stressed the importance of keeping up the process of peaceful resolution of the situation in Ukraine on the basis of the Minsk agreements.

The participants also believe that the Party of the European Left, together with other left parties and movements of Eurasian continent, need to make greater use of the available mechanisms and opportunities to improve relations between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union in the interests of peace, security, and social progress.