OREANDA-NEWS. The Government of Belarus will take steps to protect its consumers and domestic manufacturers in the context of increasing imports of goods from third countries (other than Customs Union member states) across the border with Russia.

Belarus' Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich made a statement to this effect at a press-conference on December 5.

"We cannot remain indifferent about the supplies to the domestic market. The key task of the government is to ensure protection of the interests of its own population and domestic manufacturers," said Myasnikovich.

In his words, in the past week alone, about 700 tonnes of merchandise was imported to Belarus from Russia without the corresponding documents. Fish, compound fodder, dairy and meat products were imported without any documents at all, the premier said.

Belarus' frontier guards said in a report on Friday that they had revealed 18 cases of goods being imported into Belarus from Russia in violation of Belarus' customs regulations. In 18 cases trucks loaded mostly with foodstuffs in the amount of 257 tonnes were about to cross the border with Belarus, frontier guards said.

Nine trucks had no accompanying documents for 20 tonnes of sunflower oil, 32.5 tonnes of sauces, 20 tonnes of flour, over 8 tonnes of pasta, 3.5 tonnes of potato chips, almost 20 tonnes of baby food powder and 26 tonnes of walnuts. Besides, 10.5 tonnes of dairy products and 3 tonnes of melted cheese did not have a veterinary certificate.