28 June 2006
Russia, Belarus PMs discuss topical issues of cooperation

The prime ministers of Russia and Belarus hold a bilateral meeting. "The most topical issues of cooperation" will be discussed during the meeting, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said opening the talks.

According to him, this bilateral meeting of the premiers traditionally precedes a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Russia-Belarus Union State. For his part, Belarussian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky noted that some issues that will be discussed at the meeting of the Council of Ministers would be also touched upon at the meeting. More than ten issues on the agenda of the meeting of the Council of Ministers "are concrete issues of the development of the State Union programmes," but other issues should be specified with due account of remarks made by experts.

Such topical issues of cooperation, as the price on Russian gas supplies in Belarus, the situation around sugar supplies from Belarus to Russia and the development of the Kaliningrad sea port may be discussed during the bilateral meeting of the premiers. These issues are expected not to be discussed at the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State. //Itar-Tass