Shpileuski: Russia increases numerical strength of customs agencies at border

The state customs committee of Belarus expresses concern over increase of at the Belarusian-Russian border and by oil duties.

The Russian customs service increases the staff size at the administrative border with Belarus, told Chairman of the State Customs Committee (SCC) Chairman Alyaksandr Shpileuski at a press-conference in Minsk, “Interfax” informs.

The Russian customs service increases staff size at the border with Belarus. Thus, at Smolensk customs office the number of workers had been increased to 120. It is done under the pretext of taking custom processing out to the external border,” Shpileuski said.

Meanwhile, he noted that despite of the increased staff size of Russian customs services, “no measures of tightened control are observed”. As said by the head of the State Customs Committee of Belarus, the meaning of increasing the staff number at the Russian customs at the border with Belarus “should be asked from the Russian side”.

According to the head of the customs control organising department of the SCCB Mikalai Bursh, in creased staff at the Russian customs office at the border with Belarus is connected with the concept of relocate customs control from internal clearance offices to external borders adopted back in 2008. It includes creation of customs terminals at a distance no more than 100 kilometres from the border/ “Maybe in this connection the personnel of the Russian border is increased,” Bursh supposes.

Meanwhile, the head of the tariff regulation and customs payments department of the SCC of Belarus Syarhei Paludzen informed that at the moment Belarusian customs agencies do not note a tendency of import suspending. “There is no tendency of suspending import right now. The sum of customs payments n January 2010 increased by average $50 billion as compared to January 2009,” Paludzen said.

In his turn Bursh stated that issues of moving customs clearance to the external border as well as issues of non-tariff regulation and temporary importation of vehicles are to be discussed at the joint panel of customs services of Belarus and Russia planed for Q1, 2010.

Shpileuski, summing up the situation at the Belarusian-Russian border, underlined that “the Belarusian side will not react in any way to increase of personnel of Russian customs services at the border with Belarus”.

“We have lifted customs control at the border with Russia,” said the head of the SCC.

“Retaliatory actions” for collecting duties for Russian oil

At the same time at the press-conference Alyaksandr Shpileuski stated that collecting export duties by the Russian side when delivering oil and oil products to Belarus is illegal.

“An agreement on oil deliveries to Belarus was adopted 3 years ago, and it remains in force, and since January 1, 2010 according to the agreement customs duties should not be collected,” Shpileuski said.

“Russia has pulled out of this agreement and illegally collects export duties from Russian economic entities,” said the Belarusian SCC head.

Shpileuski said that the customs service of Belarus is ready to take countermeasures against the Russian side in case such a decision would be adopted by the authorities of the republic.

“The Customs Committee is an instrument of the president and the government, and in case a decision on countermeasures adopted, we are ready to fulfil it in full force and effect,” the head of the SCC said.