CIS free trade deal is only economically motivated, says CPT leader

DUSHANBE, October 20, Asia-Plus  -- Leader of the Communist Party of Tajikistan (CPT) Shodi Shabdolov, who is also deputy of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament, considers that the CIS free trade deal is only economically motivated and there ought not to seek any political motive in a free-trade treaty signed by CIS prime ministers in St. Petersburg on October 18.

According to him, the 2009 global financial and economic crisis and its second wave that has hit the world economy today have made leaders of the CIS member nations review their positions regarding creation of a free trade zone within the CIS area.

“International community realizes significance of these zones and considerable successes have been achieved in this issue to date,” Shabdolov noted.

We will recall that eight member nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) signed a free-trade agreement in St. Petersburg on October 18.  The pact was signed by prime ministers of Russia, Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Belarus.  Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan did not sign the agreement but said they would consider doing so before the end of the year.

Under the agreement, import and export duties on most categories of goods will be eliminated, although Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said there will still be unspecified exceptions.  The leaders expressed the hope that the agreement will come into force in January.

CIS leaders first signed a protocol on a free-trade zone in 1994, and promises to sign a final agreement have been regular features of CIS summits since the early 2000s.  A draft agreement was presented at a summit in Moscow in May this year but there was no final signature.