OREANDA-NEWS. June 09, 2009. Vladimir Putin: Today we are going to hold two very important meetings, a meeting of the Interstate Council of the Eurasec, and a meeting of the Supreme Body of the Customs Union.

We have attained very good results in these spheres. The talks were businesslike and mutually beneficial.

I would like to say that we are not slowing down integration despite the negative economic situation, and intend to fully use the advantages of cooperation.

Everyone here believes that we should join efforts for anti-crisis measures; moreover, we have taken the first practical steps in this sphere.

Several key decisions have been taken today at the meeting of the Interstate Council.

We have advanced considerably. In particular, we have coordinated the tariffs by 95% and are to approve several other additional issues today.

I am grateful to all our colleagues in Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus for their efforts in the past few months.

I would like to mention that the initiative to accelerate the establishment of the Customs Union was proposed by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who considers it possible to complete the basic procedures by January 1, 2010. We think so too, and have joined the efforts to implement this proposal.

It should be said that we have advanced further in [the talks with] Belarus and have coordinated the tariffs to a larger extent. However, much has been done in the past two months in the talks between Russia and Kazakhstan.

I am confident that we can fulfil this task, and that our meeting today will also be instrumental in doing this.

I welcome all of you in Moscow and want to thank you for coming here to discuss these issues. I am confident that we will work well and fruitfully.

Thank you. It is my pleasure to give the floor to Sergei Sidorsky.

Sergei Sidorsky: Thank you, Mr Putin. Mr Masimov, colleagues,

The first item on today's agenda relates to the stages and timeline of the formation of a common customs space - the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

The next issue is the single customs duty draft.

The third item deals with the formation of the Customs Union's contractual legal basis in the framework of the Eurasian Economic Community.

The fourth issue regards the entry into effect of the January 25, 2008 agreement on introducing statistical customs registration of the Customs Union's foreign mutual trade turnover.

If everyone agrees to discuss these issues, I suggest we proceed with our agenda. Any objections?

I propose giving the floor to Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, who will report on the stages and timeline of the formation of a common customs space - the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.