Russia, Belarus, 3 countries to launch WTO negotiations as a unified customs union

Moscow, June 9 (Xinhua) Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced 9th in Moscow that 3 countries of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will begin negotiations to join the World Trade Organization (Nie Yunpeng) as a unified customs union. Putin announced at a news conference, the same day in Moscow, the Eurasian Economic Community Meeting adopted the joint Statement of 3 heads of government.　　The statement said Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will begin the negotiation process of joining the World Trade Organization as a unified customs union, while the 3 countries will also end the WTO accession negotiations separately. The statement said that the 3 countries of Russia and Belarus have great economic cooperation and integration potential, however, in recent years, the accession process has hindered the process of economic integration of 3 countries.　　To this end, the Russian white Kazakhstan unanimous decision to inform the WTO, the 3 countries will start the WTO accession negotiations as a unified customs union, the Parties decided to first approve the implementation of the draft uniform tariff rate, the draft will also be submitted to the Eurasian Economic Community relevant Council for approval, the draft is expected to take effect from January 1, 2010　　Kazakhstan's first Deputy prime minister, Shukeev, said earlier this month in the capital Astana that the Russian-Kazakh customs union would begin operation on July 1, 2011. Early last year, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed 9 agreements on the basis of international law for the establishment of a unified customs union at the Eurasian Economic Community meeting on tariff adjustment, imposition of tariffs on third countries, special anti-dumping protection measures,　　Customs statistics on foreign trade and mutual trade of customs union member States. The Russian-Kazakh customs union was launched by 3 countries within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Community. The Eurasian Economic Community was established in May 2001 and its predecessor was a customs union comprising 4 countries of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in March 1996.