Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Astana yesterday, will take part together with his Kazakh and Belarusian counterparts in a session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, the highest body in the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The session will focus on further integration and plans to form the Eurasian Economic Union by January 1, 2015, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.
The agenda of the meeting also includes the adoption of a draft coordinated agriculture policy and the creation of an integrated information system on mutual and foreign trade of the Custom Union’s members that is called to ensure transparency of managing the customs territory of the three countries.
The parties will also address the codification of international documents, including a draft agreement on the Eurasian Economic Union.
Meetings with the Ukrainian and Kyrgyz leaders in the five-lateral format will follow trilateral meetings of the Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh presidents.
It is expected that the Ukrainian side will raise the issue of its possible involvement in the Customs Union. Ukraine hopes to get observer status in the Customs Union, which will allow it to keep the volumes of current trade with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Ukraine is expected to sign with the European Union an association agreement, a part of which will be a free-trade area provision, in November 2013.
