A year ago, we outlined the basic principles for determining each country's financial resources for making foreign payments. Our calculations take into account exceptions for each country, including about 400 items for Kazakhstan alone. Today we reached a final settlement on the principles now ratified by the decisions of the Customs Union Commission. We have asked the Ministries of Finance to make the final calculations to determine each member country's contributions, which will then be fixed in an international treaty to be submitted to the heads of state and governments.
We have also reached an agreement on the final version of the procedure for crediting revenues from import duties to national accounts. The national banks have been involved in the process, and we consider the matter entirely settled.
We have agreed on the conditions for the preparation by expert groups of international agreements to establish the single economic area. This is an extremely complicated affair, an essential part of which will be finished by summer 2010-here I mean the framework on which these agreements will be based. The most important agreements should be adopted this year, and the rest in 2011. I would like to remind you that the three countries' presidents have ordered that the single economic area be established by January 1, 2012.
Belarus has raised the issue of the legality of Russian customs duties on petroleum and petroleum products, considering that the Customs Union has been in effect since January 1, 2010.
We contend that, first of all, the Customs Union should come up with unified regulations concerning import duties and authorise its member states to levy export duties on other member states. Our position is based on international agreements made within the context of the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Community, and we contend this procedure may be changed by other international agreements that will be drawn up as the single economic area is formed.