Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, And Kazakhstan To Reach Agreement On Simplifying Movement Of Citizens Before 2005 :: Charter'97 :: News

Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan intend to reach agreement before the end of 2004 on simplifying the movement of people among these four countries participating in the Common Economic Area.

The Ukrainian The presidential press service disclosed this to Ukrainian News, citing a decision signed by the leaders of the countries participating in the CEA at the end of a meeting in Astana (Kazakhstan).

The presidents of the four countries directed their countries` governments to draft the relevant documents before the end of 2004.

In his address at the meeting, President Leonid Kuchma noted the large number of complaints he has received from citizens in connection with difficult border-crossing procedures and described this problem as a hindrance to the development of trade relations among the countries participating in the CEA.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Kuchma traveled to Kazakhstan on Tuesday, September 14, to attend summits of the CEA and the CIS.
During the summit, the presidents of the four countries participating in the CEA also approved a list of 29 documents that need to be urgently agreed in order to create a legal basis for creation of a free trade zone and directed the governments of their countries to prepare these documents for signing by July 1, 2005.