Deepening integration on agenda again? Belarus, Russia resume discussing roadmaps

Belarus and Russia have taken the Union State integration roadmaps from the table, top Belarusian official Uladzimir Syamashka told journalists covering the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia on Tuesday.

Last week, Belarusian Deputy PM Mikalai Snapkou ‘discussed the algorithm’ with his Russian counterpart Alexei Overchuk during their meeting in Moscow, Syamashka, who is currently Belarus’ Ambassador to Russia, said.

“There were 30 roadmaps. 28 and a half of them have been agreed upon. There were some unresolved issues related to gas prices and the compensation of the oil tax maneuver. These roadmaps require more detailed discussion. The rest of them have been agreed. We had planned to introduce certain norms, interlaw agreements on 1 January 2020. Everything will move in time a bit,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes the diplomat.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent election campaign in Belarus, the issue seemed to have been put off the agenda.

• Negotiations on deeper integration of Belarus and Russia began in late 2018. In September 2019, Prime Ministers of the two countries Syarhei Rumas and Dmitry Medvedev agreed on a draft action program to deepen integration and a list of road maps. From September till December the governments took time to agree on concrete road maps to transfer them for signing to heads of the states. It was expected that the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State would be held on December 8, where Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Vladimir Putin would sign the new integration program, which includes 31 road maps. However, the signing of integration documents has never taken place.

• The full list of all road maps has never been published, as well as details of the integration documents. In 2019, the Belarusian authorities stressed in every possible way that the integration talks do not concern the creation of supranational bodies and political integration. Only in December, after the disruption of the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Moscow, Lukashenka told about the 31st map. “There is the so-called 31st road map — a plan to build supranational bodies. Parliament, perhaps there will be a President, etc.” said Lukashenka in an interview with Echo of Moscow.

Belsat.eu