Opinions & Interviews

MOSCOW, 5 February (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia have to restore peak volumes of trade. Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov made the statement as he met with Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev in the Gorki residence near Moscow on 5 February, BelTA has learned.

“We have to discuss what is happening to our trade turnover and have to restore peak volumes of trade, which exceeded $43 billion in 2012,” said Andrei Kobyakov.

In his words, in 2014 Belarus-Russia trade totaled $37 billion.

The Prime Minister of Belarus put down the emerging negative trends in mutual trade to objective and subjective reasons. He remarked that economic difficulties require the governments of Belarus and Russia to coordinate their actions. This is why Belarus suggests considering a bilateral action plan in the sphere of economy. The action plan can be adopted at the next session of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. The document will outline a number of serious measures designed to coordinate the macroeconomic policy and remove existing barriers in mutual trade.

Andrei Kobyakov said he hopes that the Russian side will also support the draft document that Belarus had prepared on determining the Eurasian origin of merchandise in the Eurasian Economic Union.

“Belarus and Russia have always been the engine of integration in the post-Soviet space,” concluded Andrei Kobyakov.