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MINSK, 19 June (BelTA) – Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko has emphasized the need to remove mutual barriers and exemptions and to create an equal competitive environment in trade with Russia. The Belarusian leader made this statement during the session of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Belarus and Russia in Minsk on 19 June, BelTA has learned.

“In 2017, we reversed the decline in mutual trade. Today, it is important to cement the positive trends and to ensure that the trade between the two countries keeps growing, including by means of removing mutual barriers and exemptions and creating an equal competitive environment. Lately, issues have often been transferred from one integration organization to another, for example, to the Eurasian Economic Union. I think we should stop doing it because the Union State is fully capable of addressing such issues. If any problems obstruct our relations, we should deal with them here and now,” Alexander Lukashenko noted.

According to the president, in order to find a consensus, there is no need to discuss issues with the countries that are not involved in them. He pointed to the coordinating role of the Union State Standing Committee. “It should ensure systemic and continuous interaction of corresponding ministries and agencies of Belarus and Russia,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

He asked State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota to think things through and clearly see the balance of interests of the parties across the issues discussed by the Standing Committee. “A week ago I instructed the government to have Grigory Rapota at all the talks. They should be in the know; they should be familiar with the matter. It would be good if the Standing Committee members also take part in a discussion of disputable issues,” the president said.