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Border controls in Customs Union to be simplified - Putin

“We remove customs controls, but not border controls,” Putin explained in reply to a reporter’s query. “The Customs Union and border controls are different things”

ST. PETERSBURG, October 19 (Itar-Tass) — Border controls within the framework of the Customs Union will be simplified, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at a news conference on Wednesday.

“We remove customs controls, but not border controls,” Putin explained in reply to a reporter’s query. “The Customs Union and border controls are different things,” he added.

The prime minister noted, however, that “border controls within the framework of the Customs Union will also be simplified”.

Besides, he drew attention to the fact that producers from the Customs Union countries will be able to take part in state purchases. “For us, this is a step to meet our partners halfway,” the prime minister stressed. “These state purchases are really huge. They amount to trillions of roubles. That is why for Kazakh and Belarus enterprises this is in principle one more step towards opening up the Russian market,” he said.

According to Putin, the Russian system is ready for that.

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