Vladimir Putin spoke about the consolidation of assets of KamAZ and
MAZ, two major car manufacturers. According to him, “the
establishment of such a strategic alliance will naturally increase
the competitiveness of Belarusian and Russian enterprises and
create new stable, high-paying jobs”.
Transcript of the beginning of the talks:
Mikhail Myasnikovich: Mr Putin, ladies and
gentlemen, good afternoon. We are pleased to welcome you in Minsk,
on Belarusian land.
Due to a rather high level of integration between our states, I
believe we have a number of urgent issues on the agenda. I believe
you have discussed key issues both in private, and with Belarusian
President Alexander Lukashenko.
I am grateful to our Russian colleagues for their positive
attitude towards shared issues and the initiatives we have been
working on together. I believe that all the agreements we have
reached will be fulfilled by Belarus, for sure.
I'm pleased to say that because of the arrangements we reached
at the meeting
in Moscow on January 20 of this year, today we will sign agreements
that are significant for our states.
First, I'd like
to say a couple of words about energy. We are reaching a very high
level of integration between our countries' energy systems and are
launching the construction of a Belarusian nuclear power plant, and
so developing an energy bridge with the European Union.
Resolving
issues surrounding the financing of the nuclear plant's
construction will allow for the practical reinforcement of the
Belarusian power system, the development of a technological basis
for a unified Belarusian and Russian power market. And chances are
good that Kazakhstan will be able to connect up with it.
I am convinced
that Belarus and Russia will be able to come to similar principles
of integration in the fields of gas and oil. Thus, the national
system for energy security has been strengthened by the common
criteria of energy security. Incidentally, this approach
corresponds with the provisions of the treaty on establishing the
Union State. We haven't made use of all of its possibilities so
far, especially in the fields that don't have a sufficiently
developed legal framework within the Customs Union and the Common
Economic Space, where Belarus has ratified all the agreements. I
believe the Russian Federation will approve the corresponding
resolutions in the nearest future. Of course, I am speaking about
the necessity of launching particular projects. Mr Putin, I have
informed you of these approaches. They include research and issues
of military-technical cooperation, unified industrial policy, and a
system of indicative balances.
We can
consolidate our countries' assets in microelectronics,
nanotechnology, mechanical engineering and other fields where,
unfortunately, partners from other countries are reluctant to share
their technology and knowledge as part of the Union State's joint
projects. This will allow us to utilise all the potential our
countries have in industry, science, and technology. And, of
course, this experience can be arranged as part of the Common
Economic Space. We would like to exchange views on this and other
issues on the agenda. Please, Mr Putin, proceed.
Vladimir
Putin: Thank you, Mr Myasnikovich. I have already met with
the Belarusian president: we made note of the stable growth of
trade; it grew by 19% last year. This is very good trend.
We have a
number of good, and interesting, projects planned in the investment
field. I'll mention only one of those – the consolidation of the
assets of two major car manufacturers: KamAZ and MAZ. The
establishment of such a strategic alliance will naturally increase
the competitiveness of Belarusian and Russian enterprises and
create new stable, high-paying jobs. And this would, undoubtedly,
be a significant step within the integration process relating to
the real economy.
A number of
important bilateral agreements are being concluded in the energy
sector in order to ensure the parallel work of the two states'
energy systems. Today we will be dealing with cooperation in social
security and joint space exploration.
These
agreements will facilitate the further strengthening of
Russian-Belarusian partnership. And, of course, we are putting an
emphasis on the integration process occurring within the Customs
Union and the Common Economic Space.
Surprisingly,
we have made rapid progress in preparing the fundamental elements
of these integration structures and we have high expectations for
this.
As for growth
in trade, I would like to say that as usual you have "cheated" us –
Russian exports grew by 8%, while Belarusian imports to Russia
increased by more than 46%. I hope these dynamics are only
temporary. We will try to strike a balance in terms of our imports
and exports. Together we will work towards balanced relations in
this field, thanks to the decisions we will make today. Thank you
for your attention.
* *
*
Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin had a brief conversation with Belarusian Prime
Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich before the Russian-Belarusian talks
began.
