Belarus maintains its intention to increase import duties on cars from July 1

May 23, Minsk / Ekaterina Nechaeva - BELTA /. Belarus maintains its intention to increase the rates of import customs duties on passenger cars supplied by individuals to the level of existing rates in Russia from July 1, 2011. This was stated today by First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Petrishenko at a meeting of the Standing Commission of the House of Representatives for International Affairs and CIS Relations, according to a BELTA correspondent. Answering a question from deputy Vladimir Kuzhanov about whether rumors about Belarus's intention not to raise customs duties on cars from July 1 have any basis, the deputy minister said that he was unaware of such plans. "These obligations (on the unification of customs duties on imported cars and their increase to the level of rates in Russia from July 1, 2011. - BELTA note) have been assumed, and they are strictly fulfilled by our country," Igor Petrishenko assured. According to him, Belarus is doing everything possible to ensure that there is no control on the Belarusian-Russian customs border and all control functions are transferred to the external contour. He also explained that until July 1 of this year, the Russian side has retained the right to selectively carry out customs control, but only for goods from third countries, and this also applies to passenger cars. At the commission meeting, deputies discussed two international documents within the framework of the Customs Union, which are planned to be ratified at the upcoming meetings of the House of Representatives. In particular, they decided to recommend that the House of Representatives ratify the protocol on amendments to the agreement on the CU commission. This protocol was signed in Moscow in December 2010 and has been applied provisionally since the date of signing. Under its terms, a shorter period has been established for the entry into force of the commission's decisions that are binding and subject to application in the territories of the CU countries. Previously, the commission's decisions entered into force no earlier than one month after their official publication, and now they can enter into force immediately after official publication. In addition, the protocol provides for the expansion of the commission's powers. It is granted the right to create coordination and advisory bodies. -0-