Kyrgyz Government Approves Road Map For Customs Union

Kyrgyz Economy Minister Temir Sariev said the government will continue working on the mechanism to finance the road map's implementation and adapting the Kyrgyz economy to customs union's regulations.

The Kyrgyz government has approved a draft version of the road map for Kyrgyzstan to join a Russia-led customs union.

Kyrgyz Economy Minister Temir Sariev told reporters in Bishkek on May 12 that the document will be submitted to lawmakers to be debated in the parliamentary committees on international affairs and fiscal policies.

Sariev added that the government will continue working on the mechanism to finance the road map's implementation and adapting the Kyrgyz economy to customs union's regulations.

Last week, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Joomart Otorbaev said his government was trying to postpone joining the customs union by one year.

Otorbaev said on May 7 that once the road map was approved by the "Kyrgyz people" and adopted by the government, it will be sent for approval by the union's member states -- Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.
With reporting by KyrTAG and Interfax