Ukraine pulls out from CIS weapons standardization deal

By Dmitri Chirciu

KIEV (AA) - Ukraine decided on Wednesday to withdraw from an agreement on standardized weapons and military equipment between members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The Ministry of Economic Development decided the agreement had no practical implementation in Ukraine, since the country uses its own national standards, the Ukrainian government said in a statement.

It added that national standardization protected Ukraine's route to NATO.

The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization of former Soviet Republics, which was formed after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. It coordinates trade, finance, lawmaking, and security in member states.