KAZAKHSTAN AGREES TO FORM CUSTOMS UNION WITH RUSSIA AND BELARUS.

At a press conference in Astana following a meeting with visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Naryshkin, Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov on July 6 announced that Kazakhstan has agreed to form a customs union with Russia and Belarus, Interfax reported. Masimov added that the agreement, which is part of a broader integration effort within the Eurasian Economic Community (Eurasec), is to be formally ratified by August. Naryshkin was accompanied by Eurasec Secretary-General Grigory Rapota at the talks in the Kazakh capital, according to ITAR-TASS. The planned customs union marks a shift in Kazakh policy, as Kazakh officials earlier proposed delaying the formation of the customs union with Russia and Belarus until all three countries have joined the World Trade Organization. Eurasec, which succeeded the Central Asian Cooperation Organization in 2004, comprises Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.