Kyrgyzstan raises barriers created by Kazakhstan for transit goods at WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation

AKIPRESS.COM - Transit goods are being delayed in Kazakhstan since March 2019 because of the extra checks by Kazakh authorities, according to the WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation.
Kyrgyzstan has been sending official letters to Kazakhstan throughout 2019 to regulate the situation on the border and has been holding bilateral consultations on the WTO platform expressing concerns about the traffic jams on the border and calling Kazakhstan for removing the barriers and abide the WTO rules, the statement said.
Amid the absence of any signs of improvement of the situation on the border despite efforts of Kyrgyzstan, Deputy Economy Minister Eldar Alisherov participated in the meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee for Trade Facilitation in Geneva (Switzerland) on Feb 11.
Kyrgyzstan informed the WTO members about the violations of international trade rules by Kazakhstan.
Alisherov highlighted the importance of free movement of transit goods for Kyrgyzstan as a landlocked nation with relatively small economy. Kyrgyzstan expressed concerns about the extra checks by Kazakhstan, which resulted in traffic jams of 10 km. About 250 trucks were seen stranded on the border. Kazakhstan's actions cause irreparable damage to trade relations of Kyrgyzstan with third countries and to every freight carrier from Kyrgyzstan, the statement said.
Kyrgyzstan called on Kazakhstan to meet its WTO commitments and act in accordance with the agreements within this organization and demanded to immediately remove the trade barriers and ensure free transit of goods for Kyrgyz carriers.