Belarusian president Aleksander Lukashenko has agreed with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart on establishing a single parliament and government for the two countries in accordance with the 1999 Union Treaty, Belarusian ambassador to Russia Vladimir Syamashka has said.
Speaking in an interview with TUT.BY, Mr Syamashka stated that the two presidents had agreed on “ambitious goals” that should not change, including a transition to a unified tax regime, the creation of common oil, gas and electricity markets, as well as setting up a single parliament and government.
The two countries will remain independent, however, they will give delegate certain powers to an upper level. “Such an issue is now being dealt with,” he said, noting that 20 of the 31 prepared roadmaps for deeper bilateral integration have already been agreed on following a meeting between Belarusian prime minister Sergey Rumas and Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev.
The Belarusian and Russian governments are expected to sing a new agreement on relations between the two countries by December 7.
Belarus and Russia have been in talks for months discussing the possibilities of setting up a union state in accordance with the so-called Union Treaty signed in 1999. Observers point out that the plan was suggested to find a legal way to keep the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in power after his current term in office ends in 2024.
Contradicting Mr Syamashka’s remarks, Belarusian foreign minister Vladimir Makei on October 2 stressed that “there are no and won’t be any political issues about the creation of a federation or confederation.”
Documents leaked from the Kremlin in September suggest that the plans outlined by the two governments would mean an “economic confederacy” between Russia and Belarus.
Photo: Kremlin
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