Kazakhstan backs down from product bans on Kyrgyzstan imports

Kazakhstan has agreed not to impose restrictions or bans on products from Kyrgyzstan, despite earlier proposals by the Kazakh government due to concerns about the quality of goods from Kyrgyzstan, Azernews reports.

According to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the agreement was reached following consultations with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Trade and Integration.

Following the consultations, the parties agreed to jointly implement a series of measures aimed at preventing the issuance of "gray certificates."

The complete digitization of the conformity assessment processes (certification and declaration) from application submission to document issuance is one of these measures. Other measures include strengthening the obligations and requirements for laboratories, supervisory authorities, certification experts, and conformity assessment bodies.

The government of Kazakhstan put out a draft resolution earlier this month for public comment with the intention of outlawing goods permitted in Kyrgyzstan.

Concerns concerning the issuance of conformity assessment documents (also known as "gray certificates") in Kyrgyzstan without following the correct procedures or carrying out tests were brought up in the resolution's explanatory note.