Customs Union project would be easier to implement without accession to WTO, expert says

The fact that Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus have different obligations as members of various international bodies, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), is an obstacle for their successful integration in the framework of the Customs Union project, director of the WTO-Inform analysis centre Yevgeny Korchevoy told Vestnik Kavkaza.

"It's very hard to unite the planned economy of Belarus, the free market economy of Kazakhstan, and the mixed economy existing in Russia," he says.

"However the greatest problem is the different obligations of the three countries as members of various international bodies. For instance, Russia and Kazakhstan have different obligations as members of the WTO, while Belarus has no such obligations at all," he said.