Business news

MINSK, 10 June (BelTA) – It is necessary to work out criteria to describe the common energy space of Belarus and Russia. State Secretary of the Union State of Belarus and Russia Grigory Rapota made the relevant statement at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia on 10 June, BelTA has learned.

According to Grigory Rapota, the establishment of the common energy market is a key task for the near future and the medium term. “A united gas transportation system has been created already. The construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant with Rosatom’s assistance is the key Russian-Belarusian project in the power supply system. Progress has been secured in the establishment of the common energy space. Now we have to work out precise criteria for what we are going to call the common space. None of the ministries has presented these criteria,” said the State Secretary of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.

The development of a unified structural industrial policy is also on the agenda. Speaking about the idea of creating transnational industrial projects, Grigory Rapota noted that no progress had been made with regard to the projects involving KamAZ, MAZ, and MZKT. However, the idea to consolidate the resource potential of the two countries to rack up the output of sophisticated products and set up joint ventures is a productive one. He mentioned the initiative to set up a joint machine tool engineering center as important.

Apart from that, among the main tasks of the Union State of Belarus and Russia Grigory Rapota mentioned the development of trade and economic cooperation, small and medium business, the expansion of R&D cooperation, the establishment of common R&D space, the formation of common transport, information, migration, and visa spaces, proper registration of Union State assets, and efforts to improve interaction in military and political affairs.