Medvedev orders signing of Customs Union agreement removing technical barriers to trade with CIS
MOSCOW. Jan 25 (Interfax) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has adopted the Russian government's proposal to sign a Customs Union agreement on eliminating technical barriers to trade with Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) members that are not a part of the Union.
The corresponding order from January 20 was published in Russia's data bank of legal acts on Wednesday. It was ordered to be signed by First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov on behalf of the Russian Federation.
The goal of the document is to expand trade between the three members of the Customs Union on the one hand (Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan) and other CIS members on the other.
The draft agreement was prepared upon the instruction of an order handed down following a meeting with Shuvalov in August of last year. The Industry and Trade Ministry was the main author of the document, with other participants including the Economic Development Ministry and the Foreign Ministry.
The draft agreement determines the procedure and conditions for non-Customs Union member CIS countries to join the Union's technical regulation system. It also sets out the obligations of interested CIS states in the area of technical regulation.