Economy, citizens' rights and security. Lukashenko outlined strategic directions for the development of the Union State
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, at the December 6 meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, outlined several strategic directions for the further development of the integration association, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
"First of all, it is necessary to get rid of the ballast of problems that we have been stuck on for more than one year. Such problems exist. Vladimir Vladimirovich (President of Russia Vladimir Putin. - BELTA's note) said yesterday at a meeting in Moscow: we should not be shy about talking about what has not been done - people will understand. I believe that task number one is the implementation of a unified economic policy and ensuring equal rights for citizens in our union space. We have not yet managed to reach the level of self-sufficiency and independence of our association, at which we could carry out long-term planning of our development and would be protected from external conditions and various challenges," the head of state noted.On a unified economic policy
According to him, the tools for solving this task are clear: a coordinated industrial policy, common approaches to ensuring food security, a single energy market, the systematic achievement of technological sovereignty, and rational import substitution. It is also important to eliminate the remaining obstacles in bilateral trade, the President emphasized.
"We have already begun to implement joint projects in such areas as microelectronics, machine tool manufacturing, aircraft manufacturing, and shipbuilding. But we are not moving fast enough yet. As of today, only 27 import substitution projects are being implemented. For the united market of Belarus and Russia, the volume of which is estimated at $2 trillion by aggregate GDP, this figure should be, I think, hundreds of times larger," said Alexander Lukashenko.
Both Belarus and Russia will benefit from such projects, the head of state is convinced. In both countries, thanks to cooperation, new jobs are being created, and new innovative products are appearing.
"First of all, it is necessary to get rid of the ballast of problems that we have been stuck on for more than one year. Such problems exist. Vladimir Vladimirovich (President of Russia Vladimir Putin. - BELTA's note) said yesterday at a meeting in Moscow: we should not be shy about talking about what has not been done - people will understand. I believe that task number one is the implementation of a unified economic policy and ensuring equal rights for citizens in our union space. We have not yet managed to reach the level of self-sufficiency and independence of our association, at which we could carry out long-term planning of our development and would be protected from external conditions and various challenges," the head of state noted.
According to him, the tools for solving this task are clear: a coordinated industrial policy, common approaches to ensuring food security, a single energy market, the systematic achievement of technological sovereignty, and rational import substitution. It is also important to eliminate the remaining obstacles in bilateral trade, the President emphasized.
"We have already begun to implement joint projects in such areas as microelectronics, machine tool manufacturing, aircraft manufacturing, and shipbuilding. But we are not moving fast enough yet. As of today, only 27 import substitution projects are being implemented. For the united market of Belarus and Russia, the volume of which is estimated at $2 trillion by aggregate GDP, this figure should be, I think, hundreds of times larger," said Alexander Lukashenko.
Both Belarus and Russia will benefit from such projects, the head of state is convinced. In both countries, thanks to cooperation, new jobs are being created, and new innovative products are appearing.