Customs union to be based on CES documents

Eurasec economic association will form a customs union on the basis of documents outlining a common economic space in former Soviet republics, the president of Kazakhstan said Wednesday, according to RIA Novosti.

      A legal framework for a customs union within the Eurasian Economic Community (Eurasec) was high on the agenda of an informal summit of the five-member organization, currently being held in Sochi, a Russian Black Sea resort.

      Nursultan Nazarbayev told a news conference on the second day of the meeting that 38 documents outlining a common economic space of post-Soviet countries had been discussed, including 31 by Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

      "We will coordinate the other seven by October-November, and thereby the customs union will consist of three nations to begin with," Nazarbayev said, adding that it would be easier for the others to join the union using already drafted documents.

      Eurasec includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Belarus. The summit decided Wednesday to admit Uzbekistan into the organization, which also includes Moldova, Armenia and Ukraine as observers.