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Lukashenko vows union of Belarus and Russia will be better than EU

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MINSK, 13 December (BelTA) – The union of Belarus and Russia will be a more powerful, mature and advanced integration association than the European Union, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in an interview to the Turkish broadcaster TRT on 9 December, BelTA has learned.

During the interview, the journalist asked about the prospects for the development of the Union State of Belarus and Russia and asked whether this association will be similar to the European Union.

"This union [of Belarus and Russia] will be more advanced and more stable," the head of state replied. “Firstly, we will take into account all the mistakes of the European Union in order not to repeat them. We will draw on the positive experience, which is useful for us. Secondly, we were part of the single state - the Soviet Union. There were a lot of achievements. We know what to use from the Soviet past and what to discard. Therefore, it will be a more powerful, mature and advanced union."

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that the integration process of the two states would be progressive and would not have any timeframes: “We do not set any deadlines - 2025, 2030 or some other year. We will be moving step by step, solving various issues.”

According to the Belarusian leader, the current task is to implement 28 State Union programs. “I think we will be able to solve the tasks under these programs within the next five years,” said the president.

Aleksandr Lukashenko added that Belarus is also part of various integration associations. “After the collapse of the Soviet Union three integration associations were set up in the post-Soviet space. The most advanced is the Union State of Belarus and Russia. This is an advanced integration association. The second tier is the Eurasian Economic Union. The Commonwealth of Independent States is the third tier. The depth of integration at these three tiers is different,” the president explained.

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