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ITAR-TASS, Russia
March 29, 2014 Saturday 11:47 PM GMT+4
No obstacles to Armenia's accession to Customs Union - prime minister
YEREVAN March 29
- There are no obstacles to Armenia's accession to the Customs Union
created by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan said on Saturday, March 29.
"There are no obstacles that could prevent Armenia from becoming a
member of the Customs Union," he said, adding that "most of the work
has been done, and we only have to complete the list of waivers for
900 types of goods that are sensitive for Armenia".
"We have grouped these goods, consulted the private sector and
organised public discussions in order to decide which types of goods,
raw materials and services are important and sensitive for us," the
prime minister said.
"The first most important factor to benefit our business is that
economic entities will get unrestricted access to a large consumer
market," he said. "The quality and degree of processing of our goods
and services are such that our economy is geared to and aimed at this
large market. The creation of new customs regimes will allow our
business to sell these goods and services freely in this large and
strong market."
"This is a powerful stimulus for economic growth," he added.
The second important factor is the simplification of customs
procedures. "The elimination of technical hindrances ... means that
goods and services made in the country will be able to be exported to
the Customs Union member states without additional conditions,"
Sargsyan said.
Membership in the Customs Union will also help attract investments in
Armenia, he said and cited the Russian oil company Rosneft's plans to
invest 400 million U.S. dollars in the republic's economy.
Yet another factor is accessibility of inexpensive resources, Sargsyan
said. He recalled that "three agreements have been signed with Russia,
which guarantee long-term and stable supplies of resources to
companies".
The prime minister believes that "integration processes will help
improve the quality of life in the republic" and hopes that "the free
movement of labour will reduce the risk of emigration [from Armenia]
considerably".
Armenian specialists will help draft the Customs Code of the Customs
Union created by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, the Armenian
government said on March 13 after talks between Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan and Eurasian Economic Commission Board member Vladimir
Goshin.
Sargsyan and Goshin discussed customs legislation and cooperation
during Armenia's accession to the Customs Union. Goshin told Sargsyan
about the work on the Customs Code to be put into effect next year.
In September 2013, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan "reaffirmed
Armenia's wish to accede to the Customs Union and join in the process
of forming the Eurasian Economic Union."
Armenia may join the Customs Union in 2014, Viktor Khristenko,
chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission's Board, said. "I think
the accession of Armenia will be legally formalised in 2014,"
Khristenko said.
Preliminary results of implementation by Armenia of the roadmap for
accession to the Customs Union were reported to the presidents of the
member states at a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Commission on
March 5.
"Over the two months that have passed since the December summit, and
we can say that Armenia has made great headway in implementing the
roadmap ahead of schedule. I feel optimistic about the possibility and
ability of Armenia to implement the 260-point roadmap and the amount
of work to be done before admission," Khristenko said.
The Customs Union between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan was
established on December 19, 2009, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where the
leaders of the three states - Dmitry Medvedev, Alexander Lukashenko,
and Nursultan Nazarbayev - signed the Joint Statement on its founding.
The first phase of the Customs Union's functioning began on January 1,
2010, with the introduction of a uniform customs tariff.
The Customs Union's highest bodies are the Interstate Councils of the
heads of states and governments of its members. Its joint permanent
governing body is the Customs Union Commission.
The Customs Union formation envisages creation of a common customs
territory where no customs duties or economic restrictions will apply,
save for special protective, anti-dumping and compensatory measures.
Within the Customs Union, a uniform customs tariff and other uniform
measures regulating the commodity trade with third nations will be
applied.
The Eurasian Economic Commission is a supranational body of the Common
Economic Space created by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The Common
Economic Space has been operating since the start of 2012. A
supranational regulatory body - the Eurasian Economic Commission - has
been created and has become operational. It will take over the
function of further deepening of integration.
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the Agreement on the Eurasian
Economic Commission on November 18, 2011. The Commission started
working on January 1, 2012.
The Commission coordinates integration processes within the Customs
Union and the Unified Economic Space.
The Commission has a Council made up of deputy prime ministers, which
will carry out overall supervision of integration processes, and a
Board, a working body to which all member states will delegate their
representatives.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
March 29, 2014 Saturday 11:47 PM GMT+4
No obstacles to Armenia's accession to Customs Union - prime minister
YEREVAN March 29
- There are no obstacles to Armenia's accession to the Customs Union
created by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan said on Saturday, March 29.
"There are no obstacles that could prevent Armenia from becoming a
member of the Customs Union," he said, adding that "most of the work
has been done, and we only have to complete the list of waivers for
900 types of goods that are sensitive for Armenia".
"We have grouped these goods, consulted the private sector and
organised public discussions in order to decide which types of goods,
raw materials and services are important and sensitive for us," the
prime minister said.
"The first most important factor to benefit our business is that
economic entities will get unrestricted access to a large consumer
market," he said. "The quality and degree of processing of our goods
and services are such that our economy is geared to and aimed at this
large market. The creation of new customs regimes will allow our
business to sell these goods and services freely in this large and
strong market."
"This is a powerful stimulus for economic growth," he added.
The second important factor is the simplification of customs
procedures. "The elimination of technical hindrances ... means that
goods and services made in the country will be able to be exported to
the Customs Union member states without additional conditions,"
Sargsyan said.
Membership in the Customs Union will also help attract investments in
Armenia, he said and cited the Russian oil company Rosneft's plans to
invest 400 million U.S. dollars in the republic's economy.
Yet another factor is accessibility of inexpensive resources, Sargsyan
said. He recalled that "three agreements have been signed with Russia,
which guarantee long-term and stable supplies of resources to
companies".
The prime minister believes that "integration processes will help
improve the quality of life in the republic" and hopes that "the free
movement of labour will reduce the risk of emigration [from Armenia]
considerably".
Armenian specialists will help draft the Customs Code of the Customs
Union created by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, the Armenian
government said on March 13 after talks between Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan and Eurasian Economic Commission Board member Vladimir
Goshin.
Sargsyan and Goshin discussed customs legislation and cooperation
during Armenia's accession to the Customs Union. Goshin told Sargsyan
about the work on the Customs Code to be put into effect next year.
In September 2013, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan "reaffirmed
Armenia's wish to accede to the Customs Union and join in the process
of forming the Eurasian Economic Union."
Armenia may join the Customs Union in 2014, Viktor Khristenko,
chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission's Board, said. "I think
the accession of Armenia will be legally formalised in 2014,"
Khristenko said.
Preliminary results of implementation by Armenia of the roadmap for
accession to the Customs Union were reported to the presidents of the
member states at a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Commission on
March 5.
"Over the two months that have passed since the December summit, and
we can say that Armenia has made great headway in implementing the
roadmap ahead of schedule. I feel optimistic about the possibility and
ability of Armenia to implement the 260-point roadmap and the amount
of work to be done before admission," Khristenko said.
The Customs Union between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan was
established on December 19, 2009, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where the
leaders of the three states - Dmitry Medvedev, Alexander Lukashenko,
and Nursultan Nazarbayev - signed the Joint Statement on its founding.
The first phase of the Customs Union's functioning began on January 1,
2010, with the introduction of a uniform customs tariff.
The Customs Union's highest bodies are the Interstate Councils of the
heads of states and governments of its members. Its joint permanent
governing body is the Customs Union Commission.
The Customs Union formation envisages creation of a common customs
territory where no customs duties or economic restrictions will apply,
save for special protective, anti-dumping and compensatory measures.
Within the Customs Union, a uniform customs tariff and other uniform
measures regulating the commodity trade with third nations will be
applied.
The Eurasian Economic Commission is a supranational body of the Common
Economic Space created by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The Common
Economic Space has been operating since the start of 2012. A
supranational regulatory body - the Eurasian Economic Commission - has
been created and has become operational. It will take over the
function of further deepening of integration.
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the Agreement on the Eurasian
Economic Commission on November 18, 2011. The Commission started
working on January 1, 2012.
The Commission coordinates integration processes within the Customs
Union and the Unified Economic Space.
The Commission has a Council made up of deputy prime ministers, which
will carry out overall supervision of integration processes, and a
Board, a working body to which all member states will delegate their
representatives.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress