Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan cancel customs control
By Aynur Karimova
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have cancelled customs controls along their border.
A ceremony symbolizing Kyrgyzstan’s entry into the Eurasian Economic Union took place on August 12 in the “Ruh Ordo” cultural center named after Chingiz Aitmatov in the Issyk-Kul region via teleconference.
The event was attended by Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev, who began a working visit to Kyrgyzstan on August 11.
The teleconference was held between the Ruh Ordo cultural center and the “Ak Zhol” and “Kordai” border checkpoints.
Later, speaking at the press conference, Atambayev said that full-scale regional integration opens new opportunities for Kyrgyzstan's economic growth.
He also noted that the cancellation of the customs controls is a significant event for the Kyrgyz people, in particular for the residents of the Issyk-Kul region.
"Nursultan Nazarbayev supported the idea of construction of a road from Almaty to the Issyk-Kul region. This will halve the way from Almaty to Issyk-Kul for the citizens of Kazakhstan," Atambayev added.
Nazarbayev, in turn, said that the cancellation of customs controls at the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border would allow for an increased level of trade between the two countries.
"Cancellation of customs control will help to revitalize the business, trade between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. We will move on and see the positive results by fulfilling the conditions of the agreements that we reached in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union," he noted.
In July, Kyrgyzstan became a member of the EEU after passing an accession process by the parliaments of the other members–Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Armenia.
Kyrgyzstan's membership in the EEU assures deepening integration between Kyrgyzstan and the EEU member states, providing a free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor.
The country's development of agricultural production, improving technologies, and trade relationships with foreign markets will move to the next level with Kyrgyzstan's integration into the EEU.
It is expected that Kyrgyzstan, as a mountainous country whose agricultural sector accounts for approximately 24 percent of the country's GDP, will get access to supplies of mineral fertilizers, machinery, crop protection, and high-yield seeds from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus after integration.
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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova
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