Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: It is important to address current issues in Belarus-Russia relations

MINSK, 9 July (BelTA) – It is important to address the current issues in the cooperation with Russia, not only strategic ones, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota in Minsk on 9 July, BelTA has learned.

“We need to address current issues in the cooperation with Russia which are many. For example, the access to the Russian market has been closed for some 80 Belarusian enterprises by Rosselkhoznadzor or some other agency, or the government. Most likely the government. Moreover, this is done on the far-fetched pretext. You can justify any decision. This is one of the issues for example. If we build relations in such a way, them what common currency or unification we can talk about today... We should sort things up. This is not the way relations between the two states should look like,” the head of state noted.

Aleksandr Lukashenko gave another example: access to government procurement programs. “We need equal conditions for everybody, enterprises both in Russia and Belarus,” he said.

“Or industrial cooperation which we talk a lot about. Or the tax maneuver which was tossed instead of customs duties, though we agreed that there would be no customs duties in the EAEU or in the Union State. The time to negotiate terms of the supply of natural gas and oil in future has run out. This is a great amount of issues which are not addressed. We agreed that while addressing the strategic issues we will be tackling tactical issues, which are on the surface and require immediate action,” the Belarusian leader noted.

“Without solving these issues there is nothing to talk about, on our part. Problems are many,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.

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