The presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan agreed Saturday to create a single economic space by January 1, 2012.

The leaders of seven post-Soviet states (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan) met in a place near Almaty to discuss security and economic integration.

"We are committed to the further deepening of the integration process in the EurAsEC area, as we thereby confirm as our subsequent goal the creation, no later than January 1, 2012, of a unified economic space of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation," they said in a joint statement.

Medvedev, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a package of deals on November 27 in Minsk to create a customs union with common tariffs, paving the way for a single economic space.

In June 2009, the heads of governments of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of their intention to join the world trade club as a customs union.

The three ex-Soviet republics suspended their bilateral negotiations on the WTO entry to hold consultations on a common position on the customs union.

In October 2009, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus announced they would resume talks on WTO accession separately, but on synchronized positions.

AK-BULAK HOTEL (Almaty region), December 19 (RIA Novosti)