PM urges prompt gov't action to help businesses catch up with integration
The forum gathered representatives of business circles and top government officials from all three countries and was dedicated to another important step in the formation of Common Economic Space (CES): the removal of internal border customs checkpoints by the CU member states on July 1, 2011. As a result, a common market of more than 160 million potential consumers has been created, the Kazakh MFA reports.
During the conference, heads of government of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus announced their intention to turn the Customs Union into a more powerful association which will become one of the world's economic poles.
"We have major goals and their fulfillment, in fact, should eventually change the whole structure of the Eurasian space. In the future, the formation of the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space opens the way for the creation of a Eurasian economic space," Putin said.
Addressing the forum, Massimov said the idea of establishing the CU and the CES in no case implies loss of independence and sovereignty by any of the nations, which will remain unshakable. Massimov explained the major goal of economic integration of Eurasia is, ultimately, its further integration into the global and international economy.
"It is now very important for our governments to prepare for January 1, 2012, (when the CES starts operating) without slowing down the speed and those decisions that have been made, inasmuch as we'll be working in a completely new legal framework, to which we are not mentally ready yet. We have to prepare ourselves and our countries' businesses," he said.
Kazakhstan aims to take all necessary measures and implement the entire range of decisions taken at the intergovernmental and interstate levels, Massimov told the participants of the forum.
"We are determined to promptly make all necessary arrangements in order to show the capabilities and competitiveness of our Union, which a few months later will be known as the Common Economic Space. Both the government and business circles of Kazakhstan will do everything required to achieve the goals," the Kazakh Premier contended.
He stressed that the Customs Union is not a "closed association". At the moment the CU member states are steadily moving further willing to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) on favourable terms.
"The process of establishing the two integration associations is so fast that businesses do not always have time to quickly respond to the decisions taken today," Massimov told reporters after the forum. He also drew attention to the fact that the launch of the CES on January 1, 2012, implies single competition policy, free movement of goods, services, capital and labour.
"These will be completely new unprecedented conditions. We need to prepare well for that and raise public awareness of the issue," he concluded.
While in Moscow, Massimov also met separately with representatives of Russian intellectual and scientific circles. Massimov and Director of the United Institute for Nuclear Research (UINR) Victor Matveyev discussed future prospects of bilateral cooperation in nuclear research between the UNRI and the National Nuclear Centre of Kazakhstan.
Later in the day, Massimov talked over the development of science and education with Vice President of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences Sergey Kapitsa. In their conversation, the sides mentioned the phenomenon of historical time acceleration and changes that have taken place in Kazakhstan in the historical context.
As part of his trip to the Russian capital, Massimov also met President of the National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute" Yevgeniy Velikhov, and Chairman of the Russian Federal Security Service for Drug Control Viktor Ivanov. Massimov and Ivanov exchanged views on intensifying counteraction against international drug trafficking and cooperation aimed at ensuring security on the CU territory.