MOSCOW, 10 November (BelTA) – The Union State is an integration of two independent states, which is aimed at improving the wellbeing of the citizens of Belarus and Russia, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov told the media following the annual meeting of the Russian-Belarusian ministerial collegium in Moscow on 10 November, BelTA has learned.
According to Sergey Lavrov, after the Union State Treaty was signed in 1999 Belarus and Russia embarked on a qualitatively new stage of integration. “It, of course, differed from the integration that existed both within the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire. This stage means a movement towards integration of two sovereign, independent states,” he said.
The Russian minister of foreign affairs pointed out that the integration documents, signed by the heads of state on 4 November 2021, are aimed primarily at improving the wellbeing of the citizens of the two countries through the development of the economy and social sector. “Many things that are now viewed as commonplace were solved in the context of the development of the Union State. Citizens of Russia and Belarus now have equal rights in healthcare, social security and pensions, education, freedom of movement, employment. Of course, as we are deepening our integration, other issues emerge and they need to be solved from the point of view of ensuring equal rights for the Belarusians and Russians,” he said.
