Press Secretary of the President of Belarus Natalia Eismont stressed the absolute priority of maintaining independence in the course of economic integration with Russia. So she commented on media reports that Russia and Belarus allegedly plan to unite the Confederation in the coming years.
“The basis of any process is the idea of independence of Belarus and Russia. Is sacred! The red flags are the sovereignty and independence of each country. In the integration processes we go to the steps that are economically viable. No joint bodies is not created – this country is not ready,” said Eismont, commenting on the newspaper “Nasha Niva” publication in “Kommersant”, where the nature of the expected integration was described using the principle of Confederation.
According to Eismont, “all the big terms” in the article “Kommersant”, in particular, the Confederation in Minsk is estimated as “idle journalistic cliches”. However, for the description of the situation the press-Secretary of Alyaksandr Lukashenka has also used the “stamp” of kantselyarita. “In General, in the integration work that is now underway, the parties proceed from the realities that we have, that is, from the achieved level of cooperation,” said Eismont, not saying anything specific.
She recalled that at the level of ministries of Belarus and Russia, the ongoing work of the joint boards, effective work of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union Council of Ministers, the Supreme Council of the Union state. “These are the organs through which, according to the agreements of the presidents, are and will continue to address issues of bilateral relations,” said Eismont.
“As for the question of “stuffing” (about the article “Kommersant” about the Confederacy. – Approx. Interfax) – the program will be a program only when it is signed by the presidents and it will be adopted at the highest state Council in December – again, if the parties are ready. While the work continues,” she said.
Monday, 16 September, “Kommersant” has published the project of the program of integration of Belarus and Russia, which is September 6, initialled by the Prime Ministers Sergei Rumas and Dmitry Medvedev. According to the newspaper, this degree of integration is higher than in the European Union, “in fact, at the level of the economies we are talking about the creation of 2022 Confederation.”
On 16 September, the press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the further integration of Russia and Belarus can be presented to the presidents of the two countries before the end of the year, while its content is preliminary and will be further discussed later.
Under the plan, disclosed by “Kommersant”, in the Union state of Russia and Belarus by April 1, 2021 will be adopted a single Tax code. In addition, States will conduct uniform customs and energy policy: the document suggests the creation of a “single regulator” of markets for gas, oil, petroleum products and electricity.
The parties also agreed on common principles “on special economic measures”: in Russia they are often called counter-sanctions, often suspecting the promotion of Belarus in their bypass.
Sphere of defence, state security, court, law enforcement, education, health, science and public administration in the program stated, as the Executive authority of the Union state. At least until 2022 to talk about the actual unification of the two countries is not – the document is concerned only about economic integration. In addition, it is almost impossible to talk about equality of the parties: an advance development of the infrastructure of the Russian Federation in comparison with Belarus obviously, the main risk for the Russian economy from the non-equilibrium integration – opening “under integration needs” the possibility of revising the conditions of the economy.
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