State Duma Speaker Considers Legislative Unification Main Task Of Eurasec Interparliamentary Assembly

The main task of the Interparliamentary Assembly (IPA) of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) is legislative unification, Gennady Seleznev, speaker of the State Duma (lower parliamentary house), told journalists Friday. He takes part in the first plenary session of the IPA of the Eurasian Economic Community comprising Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Russia and Tajikistan, which has opened in St. Petersburg Friday. According to Seleznev, the task facing the EurAsEC IPA is to provide a common market and a common infrastructure in the "five" member-countries. The first step on this way, Seleznev believes, will be unification of customs legislation, specifically in customs duties. At the same time, he stressed, this is a large work which will take at least three years. Participants in the session in St. Petersburg will consider a number of documents regulating the activity of EurAsEC IPA, i.e. the status, composition of the secretariat and commissions, as well as the organisation's programme. Moreover, the guidelines of EurAsEC IPA cooperation with international organisations, issues of holding a competition to develop the Community's symbols (emblem and flag), draft laws On Accounting and Auditing Basics, and other documents are also expected to be considered.