Customs Union in Free Trade Talks with Europe – Lavrov

The Customs Union of the former Soviet republics of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan is in free trade talks with New Zealand, Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

“The Customs Union troika is negotiating free trade terms outside the CIS. Currently such talks under underway with New Zealand and also collective negotiations are ongoing with Vietnam,” Lavrov said after talks with his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Martynov.

The free trade pact seals new principles of free trade within the CIS, Martynov said.

“We expect a serious synergy effect from this agreement,” he said.

Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan decided to set up the post-Soviet customs bloc at an informal summit of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) in August 2006.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In November 2011, the Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh presidents signed a declaration on Eurasian economic integration, a roadmap of integration processes aimed at creating the Eurasian Economic Union, which will be based on the Customs Union and common economic space among the three countries.