Aleksandr Lukashenko meets with State Secretary of Union State Grigory Rapota

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Matters concerning the forthcoming session of the Supreme State Council of the UnionState of Belarus and Russia were discussed at the meeting of Belarus  President, Chairman of the Supreme State Council Aleksandr Lukashenko and State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota on 5 December.

Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that a number of issues that only the Supreme State Council can resolve had piled up.

The Belarusian head of state asked Grigory Rapota about the preparation of the agenda of the forthcoming session. “What doesn’t match? Is there anything that has to be agreed upon yet? Do you need the presidents to interfere now in order to reduce arguing at the session?” asked Aleksandr Lukashenko. He was also interested in preparations for the session of the Union State Council of Ministers. “It is our main working body. All the issues are processed there and are forwarded to the Supreme State Council,” remarked the President.

“I would like to hear your opinion about Belarusian-Russian relations with regard to the problems that emerge today, including the conflict between the European Union and Ukraine, how it translates into our relations, what lessons and conclusions we should make,” the Belarusian head of state told Grigory Rapota.

In turn, the State Secretary of the UnionState remarked that the final adjustments of the date for holding the session of the Supreme State Council were being made. The session is supposed to take place in late December. As far as the agenda of the session is concerned, it comprises several blocks. Plans have been made to discuss results of this year’s budget policy and adopt the next year’s budget, discuss the economic policy, including results of Belarus-Russia trade and economic cooperation in 2013 as well as promising avenues of the development of the UnionState, in particular, transport and power engineering. Besides, the session is expected to table UnionState property matters, the consensual industrial policy, and social matters, including those relating to the UnionState  programs, which either have been fulfilled or have to be fulfilled next year.