Customs points between LPR, DPR to be abolished on October 1

The customs points between the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics will be abolished on October 1 as the two Republics will launch a common economic zone and common customs space, an LPR customs official said.

“There’ll be no customs points between the LPR and the DPR starting October 1, 2021,” chairman of the LPR State Customs Committee Yury Afanasyevsky said during the LPR House of Government discussion of the program of socio-economic development and harmonization of the legislation of the two Republics.

“A common market will function in one customs space where uniform customs tariffs and measures to regulate trade with third countries will apply,” Afanasyevsky said.

“A uniform regime of trade with third countries will operate along with uniform customs regulations, free movement of goods between the territories of the member-states, without customs declarations and state control. LPR goods in the DPR and DPR goods in the LPR are not regarded as imported goods in the territory of the Republics,” the LPR State Customs Committee chairman said.

The documents issued or certified by government bodies of the LPR and the DPR are equally recognized in the Republics, he added.

“Domicile details of natural persons and legal entities in the LPR and the DPR have no paramount importance so the notions “resident” and “non-resident” cannot be used in customs regulation in the common customs space,” Afanasyevsky said.

Earlier, LPR Head Leonid Pasechnik said that the LPR and the DPR would establish common economic and customs space that conforms to the legislation of the Russian Federation. *i*b