Mezentsev: аgenda of forthcoming Supreme State Council session outlined

According to Dmitry Mezentsev, the next sessions of the Union State Council of Ministers and the Supreme State Council will be dedicated to analyzing what has been done so far and working out new tasks that will emphasize the depth and the scale of integration-based interaction of Belarus and Russia.

Dmitry Mezentsev said: “I presented proposals concerning the agenda of the Supreme State Council session to the president. The proposals were backed, all in all. Including the matter of results of trade and economic interaction in the period under review, a report of the governments on what has been done to realize the 28 Union State programs. It seems to me that cooperation of Belarusian and Russian central government agencies proceeds successfully. It certainly involves debates but in the spirit of genuine comradeship and interaction. And certainly we suggest and ask for the approval of an information security concept as a certain response to changes in the situation in the Eastern Europe region.”

The agenda of the Supreme State Council session will also include matters concerning the budget of the Union State of Belarus and Russia and a new format of realization of the regulatory acts that regulate the operation of Belarus and Russia within the framework of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.

Dmitry Mezentsev went on saying: “Certainly, we will raise the matter of dropping roaming charges. This work has to complete. The presidents gave the relevant instructions. We also suggested the presidents should look into the matter of symbols of the Union State. I am convinced that the instructions that will be given will allow determining via a collective, public opinion the flag, the anthem that will correspond to the stage of relations that exists between Belarus and Russia today.”

At the same time the date of the forthcoming session of the Supreme State Council is not known yet. According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, it has yet to be determined.

During the meeting with Dmitry Mezentsev the president said: “Sincerely speaking, we have to update the agenda of the Union State and begin by summarizing the accomplishments and sketching out future steps. With this in mind it is necessary to organize an offline meeting of supreme bodies of our Union State. I think we could opt for holding a session of the Council of Ministers and using the results to determine the timing of the session of the Supreme State Council, which will involve top officials of our Union State.”

The head of state stressed that industry-specific programs of the Union State of Belarus and Russia must not be curtailed. “Economic programs, scientific programs, humanitarian programs and other programs that we finance. Curtailing them is out of the question. We have to only increase funding on the basis of the most relevant principles and directions of our work in economy: import substitution and so on. What our states need today. Both Belarus and Russia,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

Belarus and Russia are busy implementing Union State programs adopted by the Supreme State Council ordinance of 4 November 2021. Completion rate of 28 Union State programs stood at 67.8% as of 1 January 2023. As many as seven programs have been realized in full: on integration of information systems of state oversight agencies for product traceability; on integration of information systems for transport control; on harmonization of foreign currency regulation and foreign currency control; on harmonization of requirements in counteracting money laundering and terrorism financing in financial sector; on unification of bookkeeping regulation; on integration of information systems of state oversight agencies in the area of veterinary and quarantine phytosanitary control; on the development of nuclear energy industry.

The Union State program on the harmonization of tax legislation and customs legislation is in the final stage of implementation.