Agreements on free trade in goods
Free Trade Agreements on Goods
The Republic of Belarus has concluded bilateral free trade agreements on goods with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Serbia
On 18 October 2011, the CIS Free Trade Area Treaty was signed by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine, with Uzbekistan subsequently acceding to the Treaty. In addition, Belarus is a party to the Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area of 15 April 1994 (as amended on 2 April 1999), concluded within the CIS, which continues to govern mutual trade between Belarus and Georgia following Georgia’s withdrawal from the CIS.
With the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), free trade agreements on goods may only be concluded in the “EAEU (as a unit) + third party” format (Article 35 of the Treaty on the EAEU). In this context, together with its Eurasian integration partners, Belarus has been actively working to develop free trade areas between the EAEU and third countries in order to diversify its exports geographically and by product structure.
On 29 May 2015, a Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU, its Member States, on the one part, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on the other part, was signed and entered into force on 5 October 2016. This agreement provides for the elimination or substantial reduction of import duties on almost all key items of Belarusian exports to Viet Nam.
On 17 May 2018, an Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation with the People’s Republic of China was signed; it entered into force on 25 October 2019. While it does not establish a free trade regime, it is aimed at removing sanitary and technical barriers, enhancing sectoral cooperation in advanced technologies, innovation and transport and logistics, and includes provisions on freedom of transit in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative.
On 27 October 2019, an Interim Agreement leading to the formation of a free trade area between the EAEU and its Member States, on the one part, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the other part, dated 17 May 2018, entered into force. Under this Interim Agreement, import customs duties in trade between the EAEU countries and Iran were reduced or eliminated for a limited range of products. On 25 December 2023, a full-fledged Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU and Iran was signed; it entered into force on 15 May 2025 and envisages duty-free trade for approximately 90 per cent of goods, which account for about 95 per cent of mutual trade between the EAEU Member States and Iran.
Negotiations on trade in goods with the Republic of Singapore have been completed. A Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU and its Member States, on the one part, and the Republic of Singapore, on the other part, as well as a Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between the same parties, were signed at the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on 1 October 2019.
Negotiations to unify the trade regime with the Republic of Serbia have also been finalized in connection with the accession to the EAEU of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, which did not previously have free trade arrangements with Belgrade (bilateral free trade agreements with Serbia existed only for Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia). The Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU and its Member States, on the one part, and the Republic of Serbia, on the other part, was signed on 25 October 2019 and entered into force on 10 July 2021.
To further liberalize access of EAEU Member States’ goods to third-country markets, the network of free trade agreements continues to expand. Free trade agreements between the EAEU and the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Mongolia, signed in 2025, are undergoing national ratification procedures and are expected to enter into force during 2026. Their implementation is expected to significantly widen preferential access to partner markets, reduce import duty burdens and increase export coverage. Under the agreement with the UAE, the average tariff applied to EAEU goods will be reduced from 5 per cent to 0.6 per cent, with annual savings on import duties estimated at over USD 260 million; under the agreement with Indonesia, the average tariff will fall from 10.2 per cent to 2 per cent; under the agreement with Mongolia, tariff preferences will cover more than 90 per cent of EAEU exports, with potential annual savings of up to USD 100 million.