Lithuania, RF customs services settle cargo transportation problem

VILNIUS, October 21 (Itar-Tass) - The Lithuanian and Russian customs
services have practically settled the problem of cargo transportation
between the two countries, first deputy head of the Russian Federal
Customs Service Vladimir Malinin told journalists here on Tuesday on the
results of a meeting with the leadership of the Lithuanian customs
department.
"Except the point on the settlement of the customs payments debt and
administrative fines imposed on violators, the agreements reached in
August are being fulfilled," Malinin noted. The working group has been
instructed to check the information on payments, because the sides have
technical disagreements on it.
It is said in a protocol signed on the Tuesday meeting results that
the carried out work "will make it possible to refuse from additional
control measures returning to the generally established order for
Lithuanian transporters that settled their debts."
The taken measures will help to avoid the recurrence of the August
events in which the Russian customs toughened control over Lithuanian
transporters in connection with the violation of customs procedures in the
RF. The cargoes crossed the border, but "dispersed" in the way without
reaching the destination, and the customs did not receive the envisaged
payment.
As a result of this, a 20-kilometre queue of trucks appeared on the
Latvian-Russian border crossing points through which Lithuanian transport
companies deliver part of their cargo to the RF. The situation normalised
only after the Lithuanian side pending the clarification of the
circumstances suspended international licenses of the transporters
suspected of violations.
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