Technological sovereignty, independence from imports seen as strategic tasks of Belarus-Russia union

Aleksandr Rogozhnik said: “The GDP growth in our countries has exceeded 4% this year. The implemented measures of bilateral cooperation contribute to preserving this positive dynamics. Bilateral trade has been demonstrating record-high figures for several years already. In January-October Belarus-Russia trade already exceeded $43 billion. We expect we will set a new historic record high in our trade figures in 2024.”

The ambassador went on saying: “I am convinced that today everyone, even our opponents, realizes the successfulness and the productiveness of operation of our Union State. At a session of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Belarus and Russia held in Minsk on 6 December 2024 President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko remarked that the number one task in the operation of the Union State is to pursue a common economic policy and ensure equal rights of citizens of Belarus and Russia.”

In his opinion, the formation of the common economic space, the equalization of business conditions for commercial entities in Belarus and Russia, the removal of existing hindrances to bilateral trade are the main topics the parties should focus on in order to secure the development and stability of the economy of the two countries.

“Meanwhile, at present the economic integration of Belarus and Russia is characterized by fundamentally different scale and depth. Belarus and Russia develop such significant spheres as microelectronics, machine tools production, shipbuilding, and a peaceful nuclear energy industry. They implement scientific projects and R&D projects together. Our strategic goal in today’s conditions is to ensure technological sovereignty and independence from imports of the Union State,” Aleksandr Rogozhnik stated.

“It is of fundamental importance to give the status ‘Union State product’ to products of Belarusian and Russian industrial enterprises soon. We should be more persistent in positioning concrete results of our manufacturing cooperation and joint R&D products, which are created within the framework of Union State programs. I am confident that the development of the Union State market, the implementation of government purchases in Belarus and Russia will be facilitated by the use of digital signatures in digital documents as part of transboundary digital interaction. The parties have fulfilled the necessary intrastate procedures for such an intergovernmental agreement to come into force,” the ambassador added.