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Russia-Belarus integration documents create basis for common economy — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister also recalled that Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus told a news conference on Thursday that issues of introducing a common currency and establishing a union parliament were not on the current agenda

SOCHI, September 10. /TASS/. Documents on integration between Russia and Belarus are geared to lay a basis for a common economy of the Union State, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

"The most important thing about these documents is that they strengthen the positions of the economies of both Russia and Belarus and create an extra basis for forming a full-fledged economy of the Union State of Russia and Belarus," he said.

The minister recalled that Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus told a news conference on Thursday after signing 28 union program that issues of introducing a common currency and establishing a union parliament could be looked at but were not on the current agenda.

According to earlier reports, 28 union programs were agreed on Thursday after the talks between Putin and Lukashenko. Putin said that the talks had yielded agreements on a common macroeconomic policy, integration of payment systems, closer cooperation in the spheres of information security, the customs, tax, and energy sectors.

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Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Ministry Belarus

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