Eurasian Integration Yearbook 2012

Natalia Maqsimchook. “Chronicle of EurasianRegional Integration 2011”2011: Data and Reviewsproducts to Russia so as not to harm the interests of Russian farmers, RussianMinister of Agriculture Elena Skrynnik said.Note:The current tensions between the two countries came as no surprise to the market since they arise every yearduring the “big milk” period. In June 2009 the Federal Service on Customers’ Rights Protection and HumanWell-being Surveillance (Rospotrebnadzor) banned exports of 1,500 types of Belarusian dairy products toRussia. Belarus responded by introducing partial customs controls at its border with Russia. The “Milk War”was brought to an end after the two governments agreed technical terms and the volume of dairy imports intoRussia. In mid May 2010 supplies of powdered milk from Belarus were stopped again until July. This year, dueto the macroeconomic situation, the Belarusian Agriculture Ministry is taking a tougher stance in negotiations.The Belarusian rouble has been devalued, the country needs currency, and dairy products are the country’smajor export commodities.Kazakhstan squeezes Russian grain tradersOctober 3, 2011RBK daily, KommersantRussian grain exports have reached a record high of more than 9 million tonnesin just three months. To maintain the flow of exports, the Russian governmentis ready to reduce the tariff on transporting grain by rail to seaports. However,further expansion of Russian grain exports may be hampered by Kazakhstan,which is expecting a record grain harvest this year. Last week, for example, Egyptpurchased 120,000 tonnes of grain from Russia and another 120,000 tonnesfrom Kazakhstan. The Kazakh government is subsidising rail transportation viaRussia to the Mediterranean markets. The number of grain carriers is expectedto double as Russian transport companies lease further rolling stock. Accordingto the Kazakh Minister of Transport and Communications, Berik Kamaliyev,Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the state-owned railway company, agreed to lease5,500 Russian grain cars, including 4,000 grain carriers from Rusagrotrans,1,000 cars from Tekhnotrans, and 500 cars from Baltic Grain House.Military and Political CooperationCSTO promotes collective security initiativesFebruary 16, 2011RBK dailyKyrgyz President Rosa Otunbayeva welcomed a delegation of the CSTOSecretariat headed by CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha. Sheacknowledged the urgent need to strengthen Kyrgyzstan’s state border.Otunbayeva said that Kyrgyzstan regards the CSTO as a key regional organisationensuring the security of its member states. One of the country’s vital tasks is toprotect and strengthen its borders. Decisions made by the CSTO on providingEurasian Development Bank289