The integration of Russia and Belarus is politically possible, but not at the moment. This was announced on Sunday, September 12, by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
“At the moment, there is no talk of political integration. It is theoretically possible if it meets the interests of the two countries, ”said the press secretary of the Russian leader during a conversation with the Belarusian ONT TV channel.
Peskov additionally clarified: political integration is characterized by a completely different level of the integration process, which requires preparation. At the moment, neither Moscow nor Minsk are ready to implement this initiative, the source said.
According to him, the mutual object of interests of Russia and Belarus is the embodiment of 28 union programs, which were agreed upon following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.
Nevertheless, Peskov drew attention to the fact that the adoption of the list of programs does not guarantee their one-step implementation, since such a task requires “titanic work”, in particular, bringing the domestic legislation of the participating States in line with the requirements of the programs.
“Therefore, the expectation that someone will get some rabbit out of a hat by the ears is absolutely groundless. And the presidents very, very lucidly explained this during a press conference, “Peskov summed up.
Earlier that day, the press secretary of the Belarusian president, Natalya Eismont, called the talks between Putin and Lukashenko that took place on September 9 in Moscow effective. According to her, the leader of Belarus called them a breakthrough.
Lukashenka also noted that they had become extremely honest and constructive.
In addition, Peskov confirmed Putin’s intention to visit Minsk in October to attend the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
It was also reported that the leaders agreed on all 28 programs for the Union State. The documents deal with the integration of currency systems, the principles of levying indirect taxes, and the fight against terrorism. As part of the integration, the number of joint ventures will be increased.
Putin noted that a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Union State of the Russian Federation and Belarus is planned to be held before the end of the year.
The Treaty on the Creation of the Union State between Russia and Belarus entered into force on January 26, 2000. In December 2019, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the document, it was proposed to adopt a program for deepening integration.