Russia’s President Dmitri Medvedev signed into law ratified agreements between Moscow and two breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia “on cooperation and mutual assistance in the customs issues,” the Kremlin said on November 20.

The treaty, which the Kremlin said aims at easing movement of cargo and passengers and fighting customs-related violations, is part of Russia’s comprehensive agreements on cooperation with the breakaway regions, which Moscow recognized as independent states in 2008.

Signing into the law of the treaties comes less than two weeks after Russia and Georgia made WTO deal, envisaging monitoring of trade, including across the disputed borders in the breakaway regions.