Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 19 /Trend, A.Badalova/
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan will seriously consider the issue before joining the free-trade deal, which was signed between Russia and other seven former Soviet republics, Deputy Director of Institute of CIS countries Vladimir Jarihin believes.
"It is understandable why these three countries are still deliberating this issue. They are not to a great extent expected in the Customs Union, at the same time they do not intend to join it," Jarihin told Trend by phone on Wednesday.
The agreement on creating free-trade zone was signed by Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Tajikistan in St.Petersburg on Tuesday.
According to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan may join by the end of the year.
Signing agreement actually means the scrap mutual export and import tariffs on a number of goods. However no details have yet been revealed about what goods will be included.
Turkmenistan's joining this deal in the nearest future should not be expected, Jarihin believes.
Turkmenistan is rich with its own energy resources and the country exports exclusively these resources.
Azerbaijan will also think before joining the deal because the country does not wish to become mono-export country, Jarihin believes. Azerbaijan follows the policy of diversification of its economy as well as its exports.
Talking about the signing of free-trade deal, Jarihin said that it was important and not accidental decision.
"The leaders of CIS countries have recognized that real and quite viable integration association - Customs Union, which is higher level than the free trade zone, is forming in CIS area," Jarihin said.
The first reason for such a deal is to create a rather lower level association in order to maintain the volume of turnover between the countries of the Customs of Union and the countries outside the Union, Jarihin believes.
The second reason is to create so called medium stage for the countries, which are not the members of the Customs Union, before joining it, he said.
For the countries like Ukraine, which does not want to be a member of the Customs Union, free-trade zone is a solution which will enable not to reduce the volume of its turnover with such countries as Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, Jarihin believes.