MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE UNION STATE
Sergei Sidorsky: 2007 – fruitful for Union Sate integration
During a session of the Union State Council of Ministers in Moscow Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky characterized the outgoing year as fruitful for the Union State integration.
“In 2007 we managed to maintain and promote the positive dynamics of the Union State integration, he said. We managed to solve several issues, settle most part of the problems in bilateral trade.”
According to Sergei Sidorsky, the official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Belarus and the session of the Union State Supreme State Council confirmed the strategic nature of the integration between the two countries.
The Belarusian Premier stressed that Belarus and Russia have been actively developing interregional cooperation, what, in many things, contributed to the record high bilateral trade of $23-24 billion.
According to Sergei Sidorsky, there is progress in ensuring equal rights of citizens of Belarus and Russia. The agreements on cooperation in social security, taxation have come into force. He expressed hope that in the near future Russia will complete necessary procedures with regard to the agreements on medial aid and ensuring equal rights for freedom of movement.
Belarus-Russia cooperation within framework of Union State is concrete, Sergei Sidorsky says
The cooperation between Belarus and Russia within the framework of the Union State is concrete, Belarusian Premier Sergei Sidorsky said when meeting with Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Zubkov in Moscow on December 26.
Sergei Sidorsky noted that more than 40 joint programmes will be financed from the 2008 Union State budget.
According to the Belarusian Premier, the bilateral trade which is expected to hit $24 billion this year is an important indicator of the bilateral relationship.
On December 26, a session of the Council of Ministers of the Union State is expected to focus on the issues which will become the basis for the cooperation of Belarus and Russia in 2008, Sergei Sidorsky highlighted. The fuel and energy balance, trade and economic relations, customs, transport industry will be high on the agenda of the session.
Russia to transfer loan issued to Belarus on December 26, Viktor Zubkov says
Russia will transfer the loan issued to Belarus on December 26, Russian Premier Viktor Zubkov told Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky during their meeting before the session of the Council of Ministers of the Union State which will open in Moscow on December 26.
According to Viktor Zubkov, the decision to issue a $1.5 billion loan to Belarus is a sound evidence of the intention to implement all the provisions of the memorandum signed by the presidents of Belarus and Russia during a recent meeting in Minsk. The Russian side has started to implement the agreements reached by the presidents of the two countries without delay.
According to Viktor Zubkov, the official visit of Vladimir Putin to Minsk was of great importance for developing the Belarusian-Russian relations.
Viktor Zubkov urges more efforts to develop Union State single economic area
“We need to intensify the activity to create the single economic space and customs union,” Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Zubkov said when opening a session of the Union State Council of Ministers in Moscow on December 27.
Viktor Zubkov also urged that all obstacles in trade and cooperation should be removed.
According to the Prime Minister of Russia, the session will focus on concrete issues of cooperation. The sides will consider the projected supply and demand in terms of most important products and the Union State fuel and energy consumption mix for 2008. The session will also discuss the course of preparation of intergovernmental agreements on international road communication, rules and principles of granting industrial subsidies and subsidising the agricultural industry. The new draft Union State programmes and other issues will be also on the agenda.
Russian Premier: US economic pressure on Belarus inadmissible
Russia believes the US economic pressure on Belarus to be inadmissible, Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Zubkov said in Moscow on December 26 after a session of the Council of Ministers of the Union State.
He stressed, Russia believes that the enforcement of any economic sanctions by the USA administration against Belarus is politically motivated. “We believe the pressure on Belarus is inadmissible and we back up the republic in this issue,” said Viktor Zubkov.
Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky told media, the situation connected with the US sanctions against Belarus had been discussed during the session of the Union Cabinet. “We believe the measures taken by the USA are discriminatory and violate the international law,” underscored Sergei Sidorsky.
Union State Council of Ministers approves fuel and energy budget for 2008
The December 26 session of the Council of Ministers of the Belarus-Russia Union State approved the Union State’s fuel and energy budget for 2008 and budgeted balance sheets of the demand and supply of the most important types of products, Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky told mass media.
According to him, the session considered 16 various issues and took positive decisions on all of them.
In particular, at present the Union State has been implementing about 40 programmes and sub-programmes. The Union State Council of Ministers took a decision to start carrying out two more programmes in the high-tech sphere.
In turn, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Viktor Zubkov underlined that in 2007 Belarus and Russia produced a record high economic outcome. The trade turnover between the two countries is expected to total $23-24 billion. “It is not a simple trade but mutual cooperation,” Viktor Zubkov underlined.
According to the Russian Premier, during the session the sides discussed issues relating to the formation of the single economic space and the removal of mutual trade barriers. “Belarus and Russia do not have major disagreement on the issues,” the Russian PM noted.
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© 2005-2008 Staff of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus
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Information support from the Republican Unitary Enterprise Belarusian News Agency
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