Russian President-elect and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday urged state and municipal bodies to solely buy vehicles manufactured in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
“I believe all state and municipal power bodies, clients and enterprises funded from the federal budget should in the near future buy only vehicles manufactured in Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, which have a common economic space,” Putin said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a meeting on the automotive industry development after Russia’s admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO), he said these measures should be closely coordinated with integration partners.
Putin stressed that such actions were in line with WTO norms and principles. When Russia was negotiating its accession to the global trade body, an agreement was reached that its state purchase contracts would be regulated by domestic rules.
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan are members of the Customs Union. In November, the presidents of the three countries signed a declaration on Eurasian economic integration, a roadmap for integration processes aimed at creating a Eurasian Economic Union, to be based on the Customs Union, creating a common economic space.