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Russian, Belarusian prime ministers discuss integration, energy dialogue issues

The sides also discussed the dates of future governmental contacts

Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Astakhov/POOL/TASS

Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev

© Dmitry Astakhov/POOL/TASS

MOSCOW/MINSK, December 14. /TASS/. Prime ministers of Russia and Belarus, Dmitry Medvedev and Sergei Rumas, have discussed the issues of bilateral cooperation in the integration field as well as trade and economic area, including a number of issues related to the energy dialogue, in a telephone conversation initiated by Minsk, press service of Russia’s cabinet of ministers said in a statement on Saturday.

"Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas considered practical aspects of the Russian-Belarusian cooperation in the integration field and in the trade and economic area, including several issues of the energy dialogue, in a telephone conversation," the statement said.

The sides also discussed the dates of future governmental contacts.

Press service of Belarus' Council of Ministers reported that "heads of governments have discussed ways to solve pressing issues on oil and gas supplies in 2020." "Sergei Rumas and Dmitry Medvedev agreed to have a telephone conversation next week, after the meeting of heads of the working group on drafting proposals for further development of the Belarusian-Russian integration," press service of the Belarusian government said.

On December 8, Minsk and Moscow marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the treaty to create the Union State of Russia and Belarus. Minsk and Moscow planned to approve the program to deepen integration consisting of 31 integration roadmaps by that landmark date. The two countries’ governments had prepared issues, on which no agreements were made, for presidents’ consideration. On December 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko held an hours-long meeting in Sochi, which demonstrated that the number of divisive issues related to integration decreased, with eight roadmaps left unapproved.

Following a telephone conversation with PM Medvedev on December 10, Lukashenko said he could meet with Putin after December 20. Belarusian President also announced plans to meet Medvedev by the end of the year, probably in Minsk.

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