The Ministry of Economy of Belarus and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia held a joint board in Moscow

The Ministry of Economy of Belarus and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia recorded a significant change in the quality of mutual trade

The Ministry of Economy of Belarus and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia held a joint board in Moscow, at which they summed up the preliminary results of the Main Directions for the Implementation of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State, designed for a three-year period from 2024 to 2026. The members of the association have a common understanding of strategic goals and readiness to consistently move forward, Belarusian Economy Minister Yuri Chebotar said during the meeting.

Maxim Reshetnikov and Yuri Chebotar during a joint board. The work of the Union economy in the first half of 2026 shows good dynamics. Good growth is noted in the volume of direct mutual investments (by about a third) and in the turnover of services. The exchange of goods between partners is significantly increasing.

- The main thing is that Belarus and Russia have a common understanding of strategic goals and a willingness to consistently move forward. Our economic cooperation is becoming more mature and productive, said Yuri Chebotar.

And this is clearly confirmed. The Board announced data: the implementation of 28 Union programs in 2021-2025 brought a tangible effect – more than $2.1 billion for Belarus and $1.7 billion for Russia.

- As Yuri Adamovich noted during our board, it is important that the quality of mutual trade has changed significantly, said Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of Russia. If before most of our trade turnover was energy and agricultural products, now, of course, it is more and more machine-building products, this is the result of our industrial cooperation.

The Ministers of Economy noted that roadmaps have been built in each area of cooperation in the Union State: agriculture, industry, fuel and energy complex, humanitarian sphere, transport, payments, finance. This led to the implementation of landmark events that improved the quality of life of citizens, emphasized Yuri Chebotar:

- These are both humanitarian and economic issues. Today, nine out of ten citizens arriving in Belarus for vacation are Russians. This is due to the activities we have implemented.

Maxim Reshetnikov added:

- At the end of last year, 900 thousand mutual tourist trips were made, which means that only those tourists who stayed in hotels are taken into account here. And given the intense friendships and family ties, we understand that these flows are much larger. We have a very large, intensive air traffic: 168 flights a week is really a lot. Many of our cities and cities in Belarus are connected. This is also the result of working together. According to the head of the Belarusian Economic Ministry, in order to maintain the existing dynamics of economic cooperation in the future, it is necessary to use additional reserves: deepening industrial cooperation, new import-substituting projects, removing barriers in mutual trade and measures to protect the internal market of the Union. These priorities will form the basis of the emerging Guidelines for the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on the Union State for 2027-2029.

- Despite the global turbulence, the main goal for us remains domestic development, investment, household income, domestic demand. This is something we need to work on more. And we set all this as a task for next year. I am sure that we will implement them together, the Belarusian Economy Minister said.

The participants of the meeting noted that the draft Guidelines for the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State for the next three years are also applied. The document contains 13 sections and includes 110 tasks. It includes new subsections on the protection of the internal market of the association and the environmental agenda.

- It is expected that the implementation of these measures will increase the integration effect of cooperation between Belarus and Russia, strengthen the technological sovereignty of the two countries, said Deputy Minister of Economy of Belarus Alesya Abramenko.

Korotkin@sb.by