OREANDA-NEWS. President of Russia Vladimir Putin signed Federal Law “On Ratification of the Protocol on the Application of the Free Trade Zone Agreement of 18 October 2011 between its Parties and the Republic of Uzbekistan”.

Russian State Duma passed the law on 21 March 2014 and the Federation Council approved the document on 26 March 2014.

The press service of Kremlin said the protocol was signed on 31 May 2013 in Minsk, Belarus. The document was signed at the session of the heads of the government of the CIS. The participants of the agreements are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine.

It was developed by the Russian side in accordance with the protocol decision of the Council of Heads of CIS Governments of 28 September 2012 with the aim of involving the Republic of Uzbekistan more actively in cooperation within the CIS framework, as well as implementing the unification of trade regimes of the Customs Union member states' and Uzbekistan.

The protocol envisages to set import duties in mutual trade between members of the Customs Union and Uzbekistan. The document also sets other conditions of cooperation between the member states and Uzbekistan.

Till 31 December 2020 or accession of Uzbekistan to the World Trade Organization, based on which date comes first, Uzbekistan and the members of the agreements exempted from liabilities on providing national regime in mutual trade. The sides will solve disputes within bilateral talks.

Uzbekistan ratified the protocol in December 2013. President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov signed a law “On ratification of protocol on use of the agreement on free trade zone from 18 October 2011 between its member states and Uzbekistan (Minsk, 31 May 2013)” on 27 December 2013.

Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan passed the law on 29 November 2013 and Senate approved it on 13 December 2013.