Events

MINSK, 16 June (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia have plans to hold a session of the Union State Council of Ministers in early autumn in order to settle some issues related to the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty. The matter was discussed at a meeting of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Minsk on 16 June, BelTA has learnt.

“I think we need to discuss our relations in the Union State format in the near future, maybe at the start of the autumn. I think, the governments should convene and hold a session of the Council of Ministers at a minimum, in order to settle some issues, in particular those related to the Eurasian Economic Union. I think this meeting of the two governments will give a signal to the third party to have a same-level discussion of some issues that might arise by autumn in the context of the operation of the new economic union,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

The Belarusian President emphasized that there are no big issues in the bilateral cooperation on the highest level and the level of the foreign ministries. The President reminded that a bilateral program meant for 2014-2015 is being implemented smoothly and on schedule. “I am convinced that it will be materialized the way it should be taking into consideration that we are brotherly states. We are handling the existing issues calmly,” the head of state said.

The Belarusian President noted that the ongoing visit of the Russian Foreign Minister is very timely. “This meeting is well-timed considering numerous problems around us. We need to reconcile our positions,” the President said. He emphasized that he is ready to discuss any matters and make decisions if needed.

Sergei Lavrov, in turn, confirmed the readiness to discuss the situation in line with the foreign policy agreements reached by the presidents of Belarus and Russia. He noted that the foreign ministers of the two countries did a good job and are ready to communicate their views of the situation, their suggestions on what to do next and how to keep integration going within he framework of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Union State.

“We in Moscow also believe that the autumn will be the right time to hold a session of the Union State Council of Ministers to review the work on integration projects we are doing now and to analyze what else we might need to do in the context of the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union,” the Foreign Minister said. He added that all this will create good preconditions for promoting economic development and addressing social issues in the two countries. “The stronger our economies are, the better the social situation will be, the easier the work on the international arena will become,” Sergei Lavrov said.