Mr. Rapota stressed that this period is very complicated, and it is necessary to "understand the economic interests of states, see to what extent they are incompatible or compatible, find consensus."
Touching upon the session of the Eurasec Interstate Council at the level of prime ministers on Tuesday, he said it is planned to consider issues of transport, the social sphere, transmission of electric energy, simplification of customs procedures on transit.
The talk will in particular be about coordination of macroeconomic indices of the Eurasec member countries' economies, unified rules of licensing imports and exports, a unified schedule of withdrawal cancellation. Mr. Rapota said there exists a zone of free trade of Eurasec, and in trade with other countries of the CIS, there is a small list of withdrawals from this system. These withdrawals must be gradually canceled, "we must spread the free trade zone to the whole CIS," said the Eurasec secretary general.
The session will consider the Eurasec draft budget for 2005. "The budget is annually about $2 million," said the community secretary general.
In his words, the budget deals with providing for the staff, conducting events and providing for the Eurasec Interparliamentary Assembly and the Eurasec Court.
Mr. Rapota also said Russia and Tajikistan conduct talks about the opening of a direct ground communication Moscow-Dushanbe (Tajikistan's capital).
Eurasec comprises Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine have the status of observers.
