Russia and Belarus’ Union Programs to Be Implemented in Couple of Years — Top Diplomat

Sergey Lavrov stressed that his colleagues in the government and their Belarusian counterparts were actively engaged in that matter

© Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. The implementation of some 28 programs of the Union State of Russia and Belarus will take about two or three years, this is going to be an essential step in promoting integration, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a plenary session of the State Duma (lower house) on Wednesday.

"Currently, the main priority, as both the presidents and the governments of the two countries said, is to implement 28 union programs, which is, in general, an essential and radical step forward in promoting integration. I know that my colleagues in the government and their Belarusian counterparts are actively engaged in their implementation," the Russian foreign minister noted.

"And when the outcome of this work is clear, it is going to take a couple of years, as it was stated, we will be able <…> to decide on further steps. It is clear that the decision will be made by the heads of state," the top diplomat noted in response to the question, whether Russia’s Smolensk could become the Union State’s capital.