Session to discuss preparations for Union State Supreme State Council meeting

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko convened a meeting on 5 December to discuss preparations for the Union State Supreme State Council meeting.

The Supreme State Council meeting will be held in Minsk on 6 December, in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Union State Treaty. The Belarusian head of state was briefed on the preparations for the meeting by State Secretary of the Union State Dmitry Mezentsev. According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, they discussed not only the general agenda of the meeting, but also conceptual issues.

The President explained that he met with the Belarusian delegation primarily to hear their position on whether Belarus’ interests are observed. This has to do not only with tomorrow's Supreme State Council meeting, but also Belarus-Russia relations in general.

“Specifically, what issues do we have in economy, national security, other spheres, in particular those issues that will be raised at the general meeting [of the Supreme State Council in Minsk on 6 December]?” Aleksandr Lukashenko asked. He drew attention to the fact that a big Russian delegation, including the country's leadership and government members, will attend the Supreme State Council meeting. “We can and should discuss problems in our relations. There are problems that must be resolved at this stage,” the head of state said.

At the same time, as Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized, despite all the obstacles and unresolved issues, this year the bilateral trade in goods and services will hover around $59 billion - $60 billion. This, according to the President, is quite a milestone.

“Yet I would like to reiterate that there are matters that we greatly prioritize,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. Addressing the participants of the event, the President asked what issues (taking into account the agenda of the Supreme State Council) remain unresolved. “You should speak out, problems should not be hushed up,” the head of state added.