Did they push Lukashenko? “Integration cards” have reached the final stage of approval
The so-called “integration maps” developed by the governments of Russia and Belarus within the framework of the Union State project have reached the final stage of approval.
Senior Counselor of the Russian Embassy in Belarus Anatoly Sementsev stated this during the Minsk-Simferopol teleconference, PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to the diplomat, on April 3 the last agreement will take place before the signing of integration cards between the allies.
“There are more important things, but we start with road maps. We'll leave around 30. The overwhelming majority of them are in a high degree of readiness to sign. This is the beginning of the start,” Sementsev said.
The signing of documents has been stalled for about two years. Previously, Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly stated that he does not intend to make concessions on issues of Belarusian sovereignty, however, Minsk continued to demand that Moscow maintain large-scale economic preferences.
If the embassy’s optimistic forecast about “road maps” is true, this may be a consequence of the deterioration of the situation in Belarus after the summer opposition protests and new Western sanctions, which narrowed the space for Lukashenko’s “multi-vector” maneuvers.
According to Sementsev, trade turnover between Russia and Belarus last year amounted to $30 billion, although it fell by 17% due to the pandemic.
“We are the largest trading partner for Belarus. Russia accounted for 48,5% last year. I think that in the near future, due to well-known events, we can increase our numbers. The Belarusian media believe that based on the results of the coming years, taking into account the trends observed in the economy and in relations with the West, an easily achievable result is 60% or more of Belarus’ trade turnover,” Sementsev said.
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