Events

MINSK, 19 January (BelTA) – There are plans to increase the number of programs of the Belarus-Russia Union State, State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota told journalists after his meeting with Belarus’ Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov on 19 January, BelTA has learned.

“The Union State budget for 2016 has remained at the same level. We hope to increase the number of programs this year. There is a good basis for this. By late 2015 we agreed on six concepts. If we manage to transform them into full-fledged programs, they will become a considerable contribution to the development of scientific and technical cooperation between Belarus and Russia,” Grigory Rapota pointed out.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the agenda for the Union State Supreme State Council session. Grigory Rapota said that the dates of the session are currently under discussion. “We should carry out the reached agreements and hold the session in Q1 2016. The participants will dwell on several clusters of issues,” Grigory Rapota noted. For example, they will talk about the Union State budget and exchange views on the trade, economic, and political cooperation.

“We always touch upon, to a greater or lesser extent, the matters of military and technical cooperation. We have a regional force grouping with its own program of development. We should review the results of our work from time to time,” Grigory Rapota believes.

The mid-term development priorities of the Union State will be another item on the agenda. “The document was adopted not long ago. We should keep the heads of state informed about the progress in its implementation,” Grigory Rapota stressed.