Russia is going to take another 230 million dollars from Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

The State Custom’s Committee (SCC) of Belarus declared that Russia’s claims on transit procedure of “Kaliningrad`s goods” were groundless. In the letter distributed by SCC the day before it is said s that it was Russia itself that in 2005 breached a prearranged procedure of the goods’ transit from Kaliningrad, thus discriminating the Belarusian receivers. The SCC declaration appeared only after the Mintrans of Russia had announced his intention not to allow the Belarusian transit from the third countries to and from Russia. According to the Nezavisimaya Gazeta 6.7thousand Belarusian vehicles participate in the transit between Western Europe and Russia. The annual proceeds of these deliveries total over USD 230 million.

“In 2006 for improving the existing situation SCC regularly addressed the Federal Custom’s Service of Russia on the subject of observing the procedure of custom’s clearance of goods designated for Belarus. At the end of the last year the Russian side informed Belarus that the procedure had been employed by the Russian custom’s service in strict compliance with the Russian legislation, that means that the priority was given to the national legislation, the SCC further reports. After that Belarus had nothing to do but to take the adequate countermeasures regarding Russian goods coming from Kaliningrad to the Russia’s mainland”, the State Custom’s Committee of Belarus insists.

It is to be mentioned, that in January 2007 the Belarusian custom’s officers started searching Russian goods transited through Belarus to the Russian Federation’s mainland with compulsory convoying of transport means. Before that Russian goods had been transited through Belarus against the transportation documents with the corresponding stamps of the Kaliningrad’s custom’s service, permitting their exports to the Russia’s mainland. The Belarusian custom’s officers used the resulting figures of their special measures as arguments for their actions. Thus, the export of 47 batches of shipment from the Kaliningrad region to Russia through Belarus amounting to USD 10 million out of 872 batches being inspected (TV equipment, home appliances, meet products) had not been certified.

During all the above-mentioned period of time the Belarusian side did not care about the situation with Kaliningrad’s shipment despite of the discomfort and losses of the Russian deliverers. The SCC ‘s declaration appeared after Mintrans of Russia had reported on the prohibition for Belarusian deliverers to carry the shipment from third countries to and from Russia. According to estimations of the Belarusian experts, 6.7 thousand of Belarusian vehicles participate in the transit between Western Europe and Russia. The annual proceeds of these deliveries total over 230 million dollars.15 thousand people are involved in the business. The State Custom’s Committee of Belarus points out that the declaration of the Mintrans of Russia “hasn’t taken into account the objective conditions”. They consider that for simplification of the custom’s clearance procedure of the goods delivered from the Kaliningrad region to the Russia’s mainland through Belarus it is necessary to work out within the frame of “the union state” a separate procedure, similar to the previously existing one, and put its implementation under the strict control of both parties.