Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission Board Bakytzhan Sagintayev attended the XVI BRICS Summit in Kazan ‘BRICS and the Global South: Building a Better World Together’. At the Summit, the leaders of more than 30 states and several leading international organisations considered large-scale issues on strengthening integration cooperation worldwide, including the Eurasian space.

It was noted, in particular, that trade between the Eurasian Economic Union and the BRICS countries is developing dynamically and has great potential for further growth. Last year, the trade turnover in goods with the BRICS countries exceeded $359 billion and, in contrast to 2022, increased by 26%, compared to 2015, by 3.7 times. At the same time, the share of BRICS countries in the foreign trade turnover of the EAEU states in 2023 increased almost twofold compared to 2021.

The Union is involved in an active dialogue with most of the BRICS countries. For example, an agreement on trade and economic cooperation has been concluded with China, and a roadmap for its development is in place. A free trade zone is being discussed with India. At the same time, China and India are the EAEU's largest trading partners.

The Union's interaction with Iran is actively developing. In December 2023, the EAEU and Iran signed a free trade agreement. In May 2024, Iran submitted a request to become an observer country to the EAEU.
The aspiration to build a systemic dialogue between the EAEU and BRICS is set in the Main Directions of the Association's international activities. Next year, for example, it is envisaged to exchange best practices in trade regulation, development of the digital economy, customs administration, industrial cooperation, transport, logistics and energy.

It should be noted that Russia holds the BRICS chairmanship this year.