Eurasian Economic Union and FAO Discuss Agricultural Cooperation
The World Food Forum organized by FAO took place in Rome under the motto: “Innovate Today – Nourish Tomorrow.” Leaders of states and governments, representatives of relevant ministries from FAO member countries, international organizations, investment companies, and the scientific community participated in the events.
Gohar Barseghyan, the Minister of Industry and Agribusiness of the Eurasian Economic Commission, attended the plenary session of the Forum on Science and Innovation. The participants discussed topics such as food accessibility, attracting investments in agrifood systems, developing research and technology implementation, as well as international cooperation.
Negotiations between the Eurasian Economic Commission and FAO
On the sidelines of the forum, Barseghyan met with the Director-General of the FAO, Qu Dongyu, and the FAO Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, Viorel Gutsu. The parties discussed the cooperation priorities of the Eurasian Economic Commission, the states of the Eurasian Economic Union, and FAO, focusing on sustainable development of the agribusiness sector and food security.
Barseghyan noted that the experiences of Union countries could be of practical interest to the international community. Among the potential areas, she mentioned increasing agricultural productivity, processing agricultural raw materials, and strengthening the resilience of agrifood chains.
"The accumulated experience of the Eurasian Economic Union states could be of practical interest to the international community, including issues related to increasing agricultural productivity, developing raw material processing, and enhancing the resilience of agrifood chains," said the minister of the Eurasian Economic Commission.
Union's Agribusiness Policy
Separately, Barseghyan held a meeting with the plenipotentiary ambassadors of the Eurasian Economic Union member states. She spoke about the development of economic integration in the agribusiness sector. Participants explored directions for implementing coordinated agribusiness policies and further cooperation between the Commission and FAO.
According to Barseghyan, the states of the Eurasian Economic Union have the potential to participate in supplying international markets with agricultural products. "With significant agribusiness potential, the Eurasian Economic Union member states are making a substantial contribution to saturating international markets with agricultural products and food," she noted.
Previously, the Eurasian Economic Commission identified the digitalization of the agribusiness complex as a direction for enhancing agricultural competitiveness of the Union countries. However, no specific investment projects, financial volumes, new financial commitments, or agreements with Kazakh enterprises were announced following the forum.
Continuation of Consultations
In June 2026, representatives of the Eurasian Economic Commission already held consultations with FAO in Rome on food security, organic farming, and joint international initiatives. The October negotiations continued discussions on these topics at the level of the Commission and organization leadership.
