Alexander Lukashenko: February SSC session agreements must not stay on paper
MINSK, March 19 (BelTA) – In the complicated conditions of the world financial and economic crisis Belarus and Russia should fulfil the agreements that were reached at the latest session of the Supreme State Council of the Union State. The statement was made by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko as he met with President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev at the countryside residence Zavidovo on March 19.
The press service of the President of Belarus quoted Alexander Lukashenko as saying that decisive steps were made and no-nonsense agreements were reached at the February session of the Supreme State Council. They should be controlled and implemented in these complicated conditions so that they would not just stay on paper, he added.
Alexander Lukashenko remarked that Belarusian and Russian industries tightly cooperate. “Belarus provides jobs for dozens of millions of people in Russia. Such giants as MAZ and BelAZ buy up to 70% of components from Russia. And we will support the manufacturing cooperation,” said the President. He added that the economies of the two countries are interrelated and nobody is going to sever them.
In turn, Dmitry Medvedev confirmed that the latest SSC session was as solid as it has never been in recent years. The sides came closer to an entire range of essential agreements concerning both the economy and the humanitarian sphere. “All the agreements should be realised, converted into real contracts and supplies,” stressed the President of Russia.
Dmitry Medvedev noted that the presidents “have gained the necessary frequency of meetings” of late. He suggested revising the agenda of the agreements reached at the SSC session to his Belarusian counterpart and discussing current affairs, global and regional problems.
The negotiations touched upon a large number of issues, including the progress in fulfilling resolutions of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, trade and economic cooperation problems, joint measures aimed at overcoming the influence of the global financial crisis, cooperation in the fuel and energy industry, finance, contacts in the area of culture. The heads of state exchanged views about the status of the manufacturing cooperation, supplies of Belarusian mechanical engineering products to Russia.
Ensuring favourable and equal terms of trade and economic activities for market participants of the two countries is an important condition for implementing the agreements reached at the SSC session.
The two presidents also considered military and military-technical cooperation. This year Belarus and Russia will hold the largest strategic exercise in the history of the Belarusian-Russian regional military taskforce. The strategic exercise West 2009 will take place in Belarus and Russia.
Alexander Lukashenko and Dmitry Medvedev also discussed topical issues on the international agenda.
After the negotiations the two presidents continued the meeting in an informal environment.
