CEO of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives Andrei Nikitin

Expert: Unnecessary barriers between SCO members should be removed

The SCO should take action to remove unnecessary barriers impeding travel and hampering business in its area of responsibility, CEO of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives Andrei Nikitin said.

"We must not forget that the SCO is an association of partners that trust each other, so every effort should be made to remove unnecessary barriers that hinder travel and trade," he said, adding that the ASI is doing a lot to eliminate excessive administrative barriers.

He also stressed the need for unification of the codes of foreign economic activity commodity classification in order to improve the SCO's activities. According to Nikitin, this can be achieved by mutual recognition of classifications, and by creating a mechanism to resolve disputes. Another important step is finding a common approach to the fight against counterfeiting. "A good start would be to establish a common practice of assessing what is a counterfeit product. And it's important to bear in mind that this fight should have clear goals and should in no way affect bona fide importers," Nikitin said.