Belarus to publish draft program of integration with Russia
Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhey Rumas said in an interview with Belarus-1 TV channel that the draft program of integration with Russia will be published to eliminate fears about the sovereignty of the country.
"I think, after its initialing, the governments of the two countries will publish it to remove any concerns about sovereignty and other issues," he said.
Rumas noted that the purpose of the program is to create a single market for the two countries. He stated that political issues are not included in the agreement.
According to him, the government of Belarus plans to submit the project to President Alexander Lukashenko for approval on August 27, to sign the documents in early September.
The Prime Minister added that by November 1, the government bodies should make 28 road maps for various sectors of the economy.
In early August, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko instructed the government to speed up coordination of the integration program with Russia. Subsequently, the Russian Minister for Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin said that the parties have reached agreements and almost eliminated the fundamental disagreements. The integration of the countries is based on the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State, which was signed in 1999.