Mr. Myasnikovich noted, “Now the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty has been signed, much work is needed to harmonise and unify individual nations’ laws. The treaty has been signed yet national legislation remains unchanged. There are no fundamental disagreements but integration should be secured by modern legislation. We need to become closer rather than walking in parallel and we certainly mustn’t pull away from each other.”
Inter-parliamentary co-operation between Belarus and Russia covers tactical and strategic plans, with the Council of the Republic and the Council of the Federation acting as bodies of regional representation. In line with an agreement signed at the Federal Assembly of Russia, with the Chair of the Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko, the 2nd regional forum will take place in Nizhny Novgorod this autumn.
“This isn’t merely an event for rapprochement. Last year, collaboration in the agrarian sector was high on the agenda while, this year, we propose tackling issues of industrial co-operation,” underlined Mr. Myasnikovich. He believes that unified industrial policy is essential across all integration structures, with special attention paid to innovations and sci-tech progress. He emphasised, “Industry is the carrier of new knowledge. Belarus and Russia have the highest level of trust and pursue a coherent policy in the international arena.” During his meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, he also stressed the importance of the Eurasian Economic Union. “We’ve signed the documents; now we just need to implement them,” he added. Mr. Myasnikovich asserts that, with the EEU in force, Belarus expects a new level of integration.
Mr. Lavrov thanked Mikhail Myasnikovich for his work in the Union State and Belarus (as Prime Minister) and expressed confidence that Mr. Myasnikovich’s great experience will be useful in his position as Chairman of the Council of the Republic.
By Yulia Davydova
