Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 31 May (BelTA) – Belarus is a staunch supporter of integration in the Commonwealth of Independent States, Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich said at an extended session of the CIS Heads of Government Council on 31 May, BelTA has learnt.

According to Mikhail Myasnikovich, joint projects of the CIS member states seek to lay a foundation for the future. The same goals will be pursued by Belarus during its presidency in the Commonwealth.

Each CIS participating state has an opportunity to choose the cooperation areas it is most interested in. “This is the essence of integration with varying speed. It is efficient and bears fruit,” the Belarusian Premier noted. One of the key points of today’s agenda is expansion of the free trade zone in the CIS, he added.

The Premier reminded that in Astana five heads of state made a fundamental decision on the approaches and timeframe of the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union. The major principle here is common market without exemptions and limitations.

Manufacturing and innovative cooperation is gaining momentum in the Belarus-Russia Union State. Integration projects do not compete, but complement each other.

Strengthening of innovative partnership is the major achievement of the CIS, Mikhail Myasnikovich said. “In order to promote innovative entrepreneurship and fulfill intellectual potential of the Commonwealth, we need to promptly identify application areas of innovative ideas, technologies and products,” he said. Today the CIS Council of Heads of Government determined 11 innovative projects of the interstate innovative cooperation program, including in information technologies, bio- and nano-technologies. This is a real contribution to economic upgrade of the CIS member states, Mikhail Myasnikovich underlined. Much significance in the agenda is attached to environmental protection.

Each of the 31 points of the agenda is relevant and has practical importance for the Commonwealth, Mikhail Myasnikovich concluded.