"It seems to me that the agreement signed recently by several CIS countries shows that the Customs Union is an adequate body," Vladimir Zharikhin, the deputy director of the CIS Studies Institute, told the VK correspondent.
According to him, CIS countries that are not members of the Customs Union but have economic ties with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus are interested in a free trade area in the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The expert also said that the current members of the Customs Union are also interested in a free trade zone, as they have economic ties with several countries that are not ready for entering the Union, such as Kyrgystan and Tajikistan.
