MINSK, 11 December (BelTA) – A session of the Council of Ministers of the Union State of Belarus and Russia will take place in Brest on 13 December. Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Rumas and Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev will take part in it, the press service of the Belarusian government told BelTA.
There are 25 items on the agenda. The topics include Belarus-Russia trade and economic cooperation, priority avenues and top-priority tasks in the further development of the Union State of Belarus and Russia in the medium term in 2018-2022, the draft Union State military doctrine, and the next year's plans for trading in agricultural and food products, fuel and energy resources.
Attention will be paid to the formation of the Union State budget, the development of small and medium private companies, new Union State programs, and Union State awards for accomplishments in science and technology.
Participants of the session are expected to review how the Supreme State Council's decisions on cooperation in mechanical engineering and agribusiness are fulfilled as well as decisions on cancelling roaming charges in the Union State of Belarus and Russia. The Union State's contribution to financing the project to create a Dostoyevsky memorial estate in Brest Oblast and a Rzhev memorial for Soviet soldiers in Tver Oblast will be discussed.
A number of documents are supposed to be signed as a result of the meeting, including the Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on mutual visa recognition.
In January-October 2018 Belarus-Russia trade totaled $29.6 billion, 12.7% up from the same period of last year. Russia continues to remain Belarus' main trade partner, accounting for 49.6% of Belarus' merchandise trade in cost terms, 38.3% of Belarus' export, and 59.5% of Belarus' import. In January-October 2017 the share of Russia in Belarus' foreign trade, export, and import was 51.4%, 45.1%, and 56.9% respectively.
