Opinions & Interviews

Call to use sovereign equality principle to develop Belarus-Russia integration roadmaps

MINSK, 2 October (BelTA) – Roadmaps on Belarus-Russia integration should be developed on the basis of sovereign equality of the participating countries. Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich made the statement as the autumn session of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament opened on 2 October, BelTA has learned.

Mikhail Myasnikovich remarked that the parliament’s work should take into account the guidelines on Belarus-Russia deeper integration formulated by the renewed action program. “The Council of the Republic took an active part in preparing this document. The government, the central bank with assistance of parliamentarians and other interested parties will have to rely on principles of sovereign equality of the participating countries to put together over 30 Belarusian-Russian roadmaps to regulate social and economic activities in the Union State of Belarus and Russia,” the head of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament said.

Current members of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus will have to do a considerable amount of work taking into account the deadline set by the presidents of Belarus and Russia – December 2019.

Mikhail Myasnikovich reminded that the 6th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia took place in St Petersburg in summer. “The traditional participation of Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko and President of Russia Vladimir Putin in the forum added new quality and content to interregional cooperation. It also made the forum one of the most important political events on the Belarusian-Russian agenda,” Mikhail Myasnikovich said.

Forums of regions of Belarus and Russia have become a good example for establishing tighter cooperation with other countries, Mikhail Myasnikovich believes. The first forum of regions of Belarus and Uzbekistan was organized in July upon the initiative of the Council of the Republic. Members of the upper chamber also took an active part in the Belarusian-Polish forum Good Neighborliness 2019. Mikhail Myasnikovich believes these events had become major negotiation platforms, which work had helped strengthen interregional economic and humanitarian ties.

print version

make home page

add to bookmarks