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Moscow hosts talks between Russian, Belarusian prime ministers

MOSCOW, December 13. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian and Belarusian Prime Ministers, Dmitry Medvedev and Mikhail Myasnikovich, are having talks in Moscow on Friday. The talks that started in a narrow format are expected to continue with the participation of the two countries’ delegations.

Upon the end of the Russian-Belarusian talks, a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State of Belarus and Russia and the signing of joint documents is planned to he held.

The two prime ministers will give a joint news conference after the end of negotiations.

As it was said earlier, the agenda of the prime ministers’ talks includes 28 items, which embrace a whole range of issues related to bilateral integration cooperation and the Union State development. The two prime ministers will sum up results of Russian and Belarusian trade and economic cooperation in the first half of 2013. They will focus on budget issues, including the Union State’s draft budget for 2014.

Besides, Medvedev and Myasnikovich are planning to discuss the top priority tasks of the Union State development in a mid-term perspective (2013-2017) and adopt a report on implementation of the Union State’s budget in the first half of this year.

“The side will exchange views on the interaction of Russia and Belarus in trade, economic, energy, scientific, technological, social and defence spheres, as well as in education, culture and arts,” a representative of the Russian government’s staff told Itar-Tass earlier.

The two sides are going to approve forecasted balances of demands and supplies for major products of the Union State, as well as the balances for supplies of fuel and energy resources for 2014.

During the meeting, the two sides are expected to pay specific attention to mutual interaction in defence and security and review the implementation of the Anti-Crime Program on the territories of the two union states under an agreement for setting up the Union State in 2008-2012. They will also consider a joint draft action plan aimed at supporting Russian and Belarusian regional group of troops in 2014.

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