Minsk, Moscow almost through reconciling entire parcel of integration documents – first vice-premier
<p> MINSK, Aug 18 - PrimePress. Belarus and Russia have practically completely reconciled the entire parcel of integration documents, </p> <p> </p> <p> First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Nikolay Snopkov stated that at a meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on 17 August, the press service of the Belarusian government said. </p> <p> </p> <p> “For almost three years, at the initiative of our Russian partners, we have been working to deepen the integration as part of the Union State Treaty. After a pause in the winter of 2019, the negotiations resumed in the summer of 2020. In the process of negotiations, we identified what the primary interests of each side were. For Russians, this is the tax and customs regulation, i.e. transparency, traceability of goods on their territory. For us, these are the terms of cooperation in the energy sector and access to the Russian market. The main difficulty in our negotiations was the aligning of these interests,” Snopkov said. </p> <p> </p> <p> In his words, as a result, the parties almost completely aligned the package, including the guidelines and 28 Union State sectoral programs and also the draft resolutions on their approval by the Council of Ministers and the Supreme State Council of the Union State. </p> <p> </p> <p> President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said on Aug 9 that Russia and Belarus had only one outstanding roadmap for integration to sign and it was about gas. </p> <p> </p> <p> "We have 28 roadmaps ready and only one outstanding issue of natural gas, that's it. But since we are in a union and see the prospects, we have to equalize the prices and it is simple, make them free, as you say," Lukashenko said. </p> <p> </p> <p> As previously reported, the governments of Belarus and Russia initialled a Union State integration program in September 2019 and approved 31 roadmaps in various areas. Draft roadmaps were expected to be coordinated by November 2020, and Lukashenko and Putin were supposed to approve the entire package of integration documents on December 8, 2019 during the events timed to the 20th anniversary of the Belarus-Russia Union Treaty of December 8, 1999. The signing of the package did not take place. Belarus said that the parties failed to reach accompanying agreements on Russian energy prices, compensation for Belarus’ losses resulted from the tax manoeuvre in the Russian oil industry, and removal of barriers to Belarusian commodities in the Russian market. Lukashenko said he would not endorse the roadmaps unless the above fundamental issues are finally resolved. End </p> <p> </p> <p> On 22 April 2021, Lukashenko informed during a meeting with Putin in the Kremlin that there were only two or three union programmes of economic nature remaining for Belarus and Russia to reconcile. In his words, they plan to reach a formal agreement in autumn 2021 at a session of the Supreme Council of the Union State. End </p>
2021-08-19
Primepress
Minsk, Moscow almost through reconciling entire parcel of integration documents – first vice-premier
MINSK, Aug 18 - PrimePress. Belarus and Russia have practically completely reconciled the entire parcel of integration documents,
First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Nikolay Snopkov stated that at a meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on 17 August, the press service of the Belarusian government said.
“For almost three years, at the initiative of our Russian partners, we have been working to deepen the integration as part of the Union State Treaty. After a pause in the winter of 2019, the negotiations resumed in the summer of 2020. In the process of negotiations, we identified what the primary interests of each side were. For Russians, this is the tax and customs regulation, i.e. transparency, traceability of goods on their territory. For us, these are the terms of cooperation in the energy sector and access to the Russian market. The main difficulty in our negotiations was the aligning of these interests,” Snopkov said.
In his words, as a result, the parties almost completely aligned the package, including the guidelines and 28 Union State sectoral programs and also the draft resolutions on their approval by the Council of Ministers and the Supreme State Council of the Union State.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said on Aug 9 that Russia and Belarus had only one outstanding roadmap for integration to sign and it was about gas.
"We have 28 roadmaps ready and only one outstanding issue of natural gas, that's it. But since we are in a union and see the prospects, we have to equalize the prices and it is simple, make them free, as you say," Lukashenko said.
As previously reported, the governments of Belarus and Russia initialled a Union State integration program in September 2019 and approved 31 roadmaps in various areas. Draft roadmaps were expected to be coordinated by November 2020, and Lukashenko and Putin were supposed to approve the entire package of integration documents on December 8, 2019 during the events timed to the 20th anniversary of the Belarus-Russia Union Treaty of December 8, 1999. The signing of the package did not take place. Belarus said that the parties failed to reach accompanying agreements on Russian energy prices, compensation for Belarus’ losses resulted from the tax manoeuvre in the Russian oil industry, and removal of barriers to Belarusian commodities in the Russian market. Lukashenko said he would not endorse the roadmaps unless the above fundamental issues are finally resolved. End
On 22 April 2021, Lukashenko informed during a meeting with Putin in the Kremlin that there were only two or three union programmes of economic nature remaining for Belarus and Russia to reconcile. In his words, they plan to reach a formal agreement in autumn 2021 at a session of the Supreme Council of the Union State. End