Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan to create unified economic space by Jan. 2012

AK-BULAK HOTEL (Almaty region), December 19 (RIA Novosti) – The
presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan agreed Saturday to create
a single economic space by January 1, 2012.
The leaders of seven post-Soviet states (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan) met in a place near
Almaty to discuss security and economic integration.

"We are committed to the further deepening of the integration process
in the EurAsEC area, as we thereby confirm as our subsequent goal the
creation, no later than January 1, 2012, of a unified economic space
of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian
Federation," they said in a joint statement.

Medvedev, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Kazakh President
Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a package of deals on November 27 in Minsk
to create a customs union with common tariffs, paving the way for a
single economic space.

In June 2009, the heads of governments of Russia, Kazakhstan and
Belarus notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of their intention
to join the world trade club as a customs union.

The three ex-Soviet republics suspended their bilateral negotiations
on the WTO entry to hold consultations on a common position on the
customs union.

In October 2009, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus announced they would
resume talks on WTO accession separately, but on synchronized
positions.