Customs control to be lifted from Russian-Kazakh, Russian-Belarusian border starting July 1
MINSK. May 19 (Interfax) - The Russian Federal Customs Service is ready to lift customs control from the Russian-Kazakh and Russian-Belarusian borders and establish such control along the outer boundaries of the Belarusian-Kazakh-Russian Customs Union starting July 1.
"The Federal Customs Service has drawn up a presidential decree on lifting customs control from the Russian-Kazakh and Russian-Belarusian borders starting July 1," Federal Customs Service Analytical Department Chief Vladimir Ivin said at the 27th session of the Customs Union commission in Minsk on Thursday.
A draft directive by the Federal Customs Service chief has also been prepared to liquidate 16 customs organizations and cut 3,600 jobs. "All these people have received notifications on their possible discharge. All organizational procedures are currently under way," Ivin said.
Russia has carried out virtually all essential organizational procedures to transfer customs control to the Customs Union's outer boundaries, he said.
The Finance Ministry and the Economic Development Ministry believe, however, that, before the establishment of a common customs area without exceptions, the issuance of these documents would be premature, and so interagency clearance procedures in Russia have not yet been completed.