Lukashenko calls for more decisive action in Union State

"We have been developing the Union State for 25 years and outlined many areas for that. We stumbled but we still have done a lot. Certainly, we will discuss this topic at a meeting of the Supreme State Council of Russia and Belarus tomorrow," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State will be held in Minsk on 6 December under the chairmanship of President of the Republic of Belarus, Chairman of the Supreme State Council Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The meeting will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, heads of government Roman Golovchenko and Mikhail Mishustin, heads of the chambers of the parliaments of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation Valentina Matviyenko, Natalya Kochanova, Vyacheslav Volodin and Igor Sergeyenko, who are members of the Supreme State Council.

The meeting will be held in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Union State Treaty. Its participants will consider the progress in the implementation of the guidelines to the Union State Treaty provisions for 2024-2026 and the Concept of Security of the Union State.

The Supreme State Council will also consider a number of other issues in various areas which are important for the life of citizens and the work of economic sectors in the Union State. These include the formation of a united electricity market, abolition of roaming in the Union State, protection of consumer rights, countering illegal import of goods into the Union State. Preparations for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War will be on the agenda too.

Aleksandr Lukashenko discussed the agenda of the upcoming meeting with Dmitry Mezentsev. "I would like to know the agenda and whether there are any issues. I spoke with Vladimir Vladimirovich the day before yesterday (just before your meeting with him, I guess). We identified a lot of other issues. I invited him to Minsk once again and said that you and I will prepare the meeting of the Supreme State Council properly. So we need to go over the agenda once again and clarify some issues," the head of state noted.

"As for our work, I have already said that a lot has been done, especially in terms of human rights, equal rights of citizens of Russia and Belarus. But I think we need to move forward more decisively in some areas," the Belarusian leader emphasized.

The president pointed out that the economy is the foundation of any relations. "We have a number of fundamental issues that we should solve together with Russia probably next year. We have already done a lot in this direction, worked out these issues. We need to make a decision. But if we make a decision, we should put it into action swiftly. There should be no red tape. Once the decision has been made, there should be no misunderstandings. We will discuss such issues with Vladimir Vladimirovich tomorrow and today, if necessary," the Belarusian leader noted. "The agenda is extensive. The issues have been prepared, but there may be some nuances. So let's discuss them today."