Agreement signed in Belarus
Council of CIS Heads of Governments signed the protocol on establishing a free trade zone on 18 October 2011 between its parties and the Republic of Uzbekistan. The document was signed in Minsk, informs RBC-Ukraine.
The agreement on free trade zone within the CIS was originally signed by eight countries - Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Ukraine. Preparation took three years and 14 rounds of negotiations. At the same time, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have expressed their desires to further examine possible accession to the treaty.
Agreement aims to provide necessary conditions for the full and effective functioning of a free trade zone in the CIS and create favorable conditions for the further deepening of integration based on the norms of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
