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The development of Kazakhstani-Russian relations between 1991 and 1995 showed that the two states adopted a great many documents covering a wide range of economic issues.
The implementation of these agreements created favorable conditions for establishing economic links between economic agents and for the development of a common market that would be advantageous for the economic interests of both Kazakhstan and Russia.
The relations between the two countries in the economic sphere developed, against the background of improving multilateral cooperation: within the CIS framework. The legal basis for this, process was the treaty on the jetting-up of the CIS Economic Union signed on September 24, 1993.' This document proclaimed as the main goal a voluntary, stage-by-stage re-creation, on new, market principles of unified economic space, or common market, with free circulation of commodities, services, capital, and labor. On the basis of the treaty, a solid legal groundwork was created. On October 21, 1994, an interstate economic committee was set up at a-session of the council of CIS heads of state, and a memorandum on the main directions of integration development of the Commonwealth of Independent States was signed. These documents envisaged a stage-by-stage formation of a customs union and the possibility of movement of different countries at different speeds toward a unified economic space within the Economic Union.
A characteristic feature of the situation in the CIS is universal recognition of the need for stepping up integration processes in the economic interaction of CIS countries. It should be noted that, among CIS countries, economic relations were most intense between Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Byelorussia, with 80 percent of commodity circulation within the CIS taking place within these countries.
One of the basic documents on economic integration was an agreement on a customs union between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Republic of Belarus.1 Let us recall that on January 20, 1995 the presidents of Kazakhstan and Russia, in their joint declaration on the expansion and deepening of Kazakhstani-Russian cooperation, instructed their governments to sign an agreement on the customs union. The heads of governments of Kazakhstan, Russia, and Belarus signed this document.
The formation of the customs union was preceded by extensive preparatory work aimed at harmonizing the legislative systems of the two countries. A number of governmental and interdepartmental agreements, protocols, and joint normative acts were signed, including those on free trade, on a unified procedure for regulating foreign trade, on the re-export of commodities, on the introduction of a unified procedure for non-tariff regulation of trade with a coordinated nomenclature and volumes of licensed and quoted commodities, on the establishment of a free trade zone, on the unification and simplification of customs procedures, on collaboration between customs services, on combating illegal drugs trafficking, on the terms of maintenance of military facilities on the territories of the two sides, and on joint security measures for the protection of the external borders of the Customs Union. These agreements covered a sufficiently wide range of issues, and they formed the basis for further action.
The agreement on the setting up of the Customs Union was based on the principles of unified customs territory of the member states of the Customs Union and the existence of a uniform mechanism of economic regulation. It is proposed to form the Customs Union in two stages. At the first stage, tariffs and quantitative restrictions on mutual trade are lifted that are envisaged in the agreement on a unified procedure for regulating foreign trade activity of April 12, 1994; fully identical systems for regulating foreign economic links, identical trade regulations, common customs tariffs and non-tariff measures for regulating relations with third countries are introduced. At this stage, work is envisaged on the unification of legislation on foreign trade, customs, currency, finances, tax, and of other laws bearing on foreign trade activities.
Agreements on the Customs Union envisage the possibility of introduction of coordinated time restrictions on mutual trade in case of shortages of commodities on the domestic market, acute payment deficit, and other circumstances.
The countries assumed the obligation to establish unified control over their customs organs and organize joint supervision of the movement of commodities and transport vehicles on the borders. The procedures for such supervision are regulated by agreements between the customs organs of the states involved.
Ðåôåðàò îïóáëèêîâàí: 18/07/2008