Belarus, Kazakhstan expand cooperation via integration structures

BREST. September 20. KAZINFORM Belarus-Kazakhstan cooperation has expanded by a lot thanks to the participation of the countries in integration structures. The statement was made by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Belarus Ergaly Bolegenov at the international roundtable session held in Brest on 19 September to discuss the development of a common competition policy for the Single Economic Space, BelTA has learned.
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"In Kazakhstan there are 13 joint ventures that assemble products of virtually all the famous Belarusian enterprises. In the future the merchandise they make will be sold not only in Kazakhstan but in neighboring countries, too. Apart from manufacturing cooperation interregional ties get stronger, delegations exchange visits," noted the Ambassador.

According to the diplomat, matters of integration processes in the Customs Union and the Single Economic Space will also be discussed during talks between the heads of state when the Belarus president visits Astana in early October 2013.

Ergaly Bolegenov said that the need to remove all barriers in the mutual trade was the cornerstone and the spine of integration. "Competition rules should be unified in the Single Economic Space. Neither preferences nor state protectionism is acceptable," stressed the Ambassador. He called upon participants of the roundtable session to use the meeting to discuss acute problems. "When faced with problems, including higher prices for food, petrol, utilities and other things, residents of our countries as a rule blame it on integration, unfairly criticizing its essence," noted Ergaly Bolegenov, BelTA reports.

Any association, particularly those with profound integration, needs time to polish all the mechanisms of interaction, work out clear and transparent competition rules, create transnational companies, which high-tech products can successfully compete on the international market. There are some changes in this area, the diplomat believes. In particular, work is in progress to set up a common transportation and logistics company of Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Russia, which will undoubtedly become an example of successful economic integration, stressed the Ambassador.

The Eurasian Economic Commission arranged an international roundtable session in Brest on 19 September to discuss legal aspects of enabling equal competition terms on commodity markets in various economic branches. The session gathered representatives of national antimonopoly bodies of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia, the EurAsEC court, government agencies, chambers of commerce and industry, and export enterprises.

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