BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
16/06/2009
Belarus to impose strict customs controls with Russia
Reuters
MINSK - Belarus will impose strict customs controls on main roads to Russia from Wednesday in response to Moscow's trade war against Minsk, the official BelTA news agency quoted Belarusian officials as saying.
The move by Minsk against its main ally follows months of rising tensions between the two former Soviet republics, who officially share a customs and passport union.
"The introduction of strict customs controls on movements of goods is a symmetrical response to the actions of the Russian side, according to Belarusian Security Council Secretary Yuri Zhadobin," Belarus state news agency BelTA reported on Tuesday.
Ties between the former Soviet republics have been strained since 2007. Minsk is angry at rising prices for Russian gas and Moscow is riled by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's overtures to the West.
The dispute intensified earlier this month when Moscow banned one of Belarus's key exports, dairy products, on health grounds.
The spat came to a head on Sunday when Lukashenko snubbed the Kremlin by pulling out of a security summit. Russia President Dmitry Medvedev then called for an end to Belarus's "hysterics".
"In line with an order by the head of state, I have ordered to impose strict controls on goods' movements on major Belarusian-Russian roads starting 9 a.m. tomorrow morning," BelTA quoted Alexander Shpilevsky, the head of Belarus's State Customs Service as saying.
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