Serzh Sargsyan: EEU Customs Code will contribute to integration and will make customs procedures and goods transportation transparent

ArmInfo. Iran's President has expressed interest in signing temporary agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union aimed at establishing a free economic zone, Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan stated at the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council held today in Saint Petersburg.

At the same time he added that Armenia actively assists the negotiation process between the Eurasian Economic Commission and Iran aimed at rapid signing of the agreement. Sargsyan talked about Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's visit to Armenia and noted that he has discussed with his Iranian counterpart plans of creating a Persian Gulf-Black Sea transport transit corridor. "Armenia is the only member of the EEU, which has a land border with Iran and focuses on development of transport and logistic infrastructures, also due to corridor currently being constructed, which will create a platform for safe and convenient route to Persian Gulf and further to Indian Ocean for our partners from the EEU", the Armenian President stated.

Sargsyan also touched upon the EEU Customs Code and stressed that Armenia is sure that adoption of the document will contribute to integration and will make customs procedures and goods transportation transparent. According to him it is obvious that without establishing efficient cooperation it will be more difficult to present EEU internationally. 

"In this context adoption of the Customs Code is a significant step on the way of our further integration, as it envisages transition to common customs regulation in the entire zone of the economic union.  Importantly, the new code sets forth progressive approaches, which are in line with international standards. Use of these approaches in practice will ease the customs procedures of the EEU, will make the borders more transparent also due to introduction of online declaring system, which is our task", the President of Armenia summarized.

Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission Collegium Tigran Sargsyan told journalists after the session that three countries have signed the Customs Code and Kyrgyzstan has not signed it. According to Sargsyan Kyrgyzstan has not signed the statement on developing trade policy of EEU either. He clarified that he was meaning the three countries, which attended the today's session, as the Belarusian side has not participated in it. Later it became known that Kyrgyrstan has also approved the Customs Code.