Mikhail Mishustin meets with Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Roman Golovchenko

The conversation took place on the sidelines of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting.

Mikhail Mishustin: Mr Golovchenko, I would like to welcome you and your colleagues in Kazan, to the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council. You and I met on April 16 in Minsk where we discussed all the key issues facing Russia and Belarus, considered trade and economic cooperation, and compared notes on the implementation of major projects that are always on our agenda, in industry, energy, transport and agriculture. We also looked at various aspects of our union programmes, talked through the detail of how these union programmes would allow us to do more for our economies, for socioeconomic development, for the good of the people. Yes, we discussed this, and also with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

Overall, our trade and economic cooperation is progressing and now, after the peak of the pandemic, we are trying to increase mutual trade, which has decreased by about 17 percent, unfortunately, that is, to about $29 billion. In February-March, we actually recorded growth of about 18 percent over the same period in 2020, to $5 billion, which is encouraging.

We have also quickly prepared and signed an intergovernmental agreement on exporting Belarusian oil products through Russian ports on the Baltic Sea. I would like to thank our Belarusian colleagues because this agreement was concluded ahead of schedule. The first unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is operating at full capacity. Construction of the second unit is on schedule, and we expect the physical launch in the near future. I would also like to mention that we are happy about the joint production of the Sputnik V vaccine that is now underway in Belarus.

I am hoping, and we discussed this in detail, that as the epidemiological situation returns to normal, we will gradually restore all transport connections. In principle, the citizens of Belarus and Russia can already move freely between St Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Kaliningrad, Sochi and Minsk. Today, we added Kazan to this list in this project. The Travel without COVID-19 mobile application is being used in the Eurasian Economic Union. As we have said many times, it allows citizens of the union states to fly to Russia if they present a negative coronavirus test.

I also hope that the cultural cooperation programme that we signed in 2020, and this year, will allow our people to learn about the values of our fraternal peoples and attend cultural events. The Year of Russia in Belarus and the Year of Belarus in Russia will help us in this. I would like to repeat that we will focus on mutual interests. I would like to thank you for your productive work over this period; so far, it is a short period since we met. Now I give the floor to you, Mr Golovchenko.

Roman Golovchenko: Thank you, Mr Mishustin. Today, prior to the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting, the entire Belarusian delegation had an excellent opportunity to visit and work in the Republic of Tatarstan, a large and important partner for Belarus. The republic is ranked first in the Volga Federal District and sixth among Russian regions for trade with Belarus. We took advantage of the courteous invitation from the President of Tatarstan and you, Mr Mishustin, and had a very productive and constructive time in the field, so to speak, without too much talking, just the way we like it. We compared notes on all our high-potential projects.

It is good to see that we have a similar cooperation dynamic with all Russian regions. The dynamic on the interstate level is also very positive, with frequent contacts and meetings on topical issues, including meetings between our presidents. Today we are holding yet another meeting. It is easy to lose count of our meetings this year, which is good. The number of meetings also speaks to our genuine intention to look for mutually beneficial solutions, new projects, and to fill our bilateral agenda with specific measures that will benefit our peoples.

This is why it is perhaps unnecessary to talk about any new projects today. We have accumulated a sufficient number of them and continue working on the package of integration documents. On 23 April, we transferred drafts of 26 union programmes approved by Belarus, to Russia. They constitute a great deal of work by industry-specific agencies. As you know, two more union programmes are still in development. As per our instructions, deputy prime ministers oversee this work and continue the constructive talks on this matter. I am certain that the necessary solutions will be found in the interests of both parties.

As you know, the two Presidents met on 22 April in Moscow where they discussed and mapped out the further trajectory of our development. The schedule of upcoming high-level meetings between Russia and Belarus has been announced. The Forum of Regions will take place in June - a traditional event, and very important for strengthening interregional cooperation. After the Forum of Regions, we plan to hold a meeting of the Union State Council of Ministers followed by a meeting of the Supreme State Council, which is scheduled for next autumn. We must continue our work under this schedule, which is packed, but I think feasible.

New projects have emerged. Just recently, we defined a new area for cooperation - we have stepped up contacts in the development of electronic components, which is a sensitive topic. Russian and Belarusian specialists have already exchanged visits. And we very much hope that JSC Integral, a major Belarusian manufacturer of microcircuits and semiconductors, as well as other manufacturers of equipment for the production of microcircuits, will get fully involved in the science and technology and industrial cooperation with their Russian partners, both in civilian and other industries. We are prepared to consider this issue today.

So Mr Mishustin, we are counting, as always, on productive and constructive work with the Russian side. Thank you.

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