Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 19 April (BelTA) – The State of the Nation Address delivered by the President of Belarus was permeated with the commitment to the values of the Union State, State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota said commenting on Alexander Lukashenko’s State of the Nation Address on 19 April, BelTA has learnt.

“The President’s address is a symbolic act that reveals the head of state’s stance to and the assessment of the situation, showing his vision of the future and, first of all, his priorities. I deem it extremely important that the President confirmed the commitment to the values of the Union State and Belarus-Russia relations,” Grigory Rapota underlined.

He also mentioned one fact that gained his interest - in 2013 Belarus will stop round timber exports and will export only processed goods. Timber is a renewable resource in Belarus, which is not used to the full extent. According to Grigory Rapota, this decision is a huge progress towards attaining particular goals. This matter is also of interest to the State Secretary, because Russia faces the same problem, although it is also rich in forest resources.

Speaking to mass media, Grigory Rapota commented on the issue of the WTO accession raised by the head of state during the State of the Nation Address: “Having the WTO member state as the closest ally, enjoying the open borders and being subjected to the Customs Union regulations, Belarus in fact operates according to the WTO rules. Such is the current situation. The formal accession to the WTO is only a matter of time and it may happen sooner than one might expect.”