Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at the Eurasian Economic Community informal summit
Photo: Dmitry Azarov
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Eurasian Customs Union Being Formed
Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the Eurasian Economic Community summit in Sochi yesterday and announced that Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan would form a customs union. Kommersant special correspondent Andrey Kolesnikov was at the Rus resort and has the details.
Besides Putin, Presidents Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, Kurmanbek Bakiev of Kyrgyzstan, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Noursultan Nazarbaev of Kazakhstan Emomali Rakhmonov of Tajikistan and, as an observer, Robert Kocharyan of Armenia were present. Putin explained that Russian Minister of Industry and Energy Viktor Khristenko was supposed to read the report, but had fallen ill. The report was therefore read by Eurasian Economic Community Secretary General Rapota. Putin limited his comments to saying that they must “intensify cooperation in the Eurasian Economic Community up to forming a customs union and accession to the WTO.” Apparently he meant joint accession to the WTO, since few member states have any hope of accession individually.
The closed meeting was short but, instead of proceeding to the Tajik agriculture exhibit on the square in front of the ferry terminal, the leaders returned to the Bocharov Ruchei presidential residence and held a press conference on the summit, a day earlier than scheduled. At the press conference, Putin read a statement in the name of all the leaders. Putin announced that the leaders has “signed a document instructing the secretariat of the Eurasian Economic Community and three countries – Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan – to develop documents on the foundation of a customs union.”
In addition, Putin announced that the presidents had signed an agreement on Uzbekistan's membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization. That explained Kocharyan's presence, since his country is a member of that organization.
Lukashenko told journalists that Tajikistan was also interested in joining the customs union, although a lack of a common border with the other states hindered it, and that the union would be in place in about three years.
Andrey Kolesnikov
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 17, 2006
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