Translated material
Waiting for Medvedev
Integration of Minsk and Moscow will be discussed after the inauguration
In June in Moscow, at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Russian-Belarusian union state, more than ten issues, mainly of an economic nature, will be considered, the Belarusian state news agency BELTA reported yesterday. The Union Government plans to review the main parameters of the draft budget for next year, as well as reports on the implementation of last year’s budget and the progress of a number of joint programs. A discussion of issues related to property created at the expense of the Union budget is also planned. Let us note that the meeting will take place after the inauguration of the new President of Russia and the formation of a new composition of the Russian government.After Dmitry Medvedev officially takes office, the parties intend to return to the most important political union project - the Constitutional Act. “We will discuss this issue after the inauguration of the new president of Russia takes place. Indeed, today, when the head of the Russian state has not yet taken office, it is unclear with whom one can talk about such serious topics,” Speaker of the Belarusian Parliament Vadim Popov told Vremya Novostei.
The parties have been talking about the possibility of adopting a union constitution for several years now. So far, Russia and Belarus have not been able to reach a consensus on a number of fundamental issues, including those related to the powers of the union authorities. This winter, representatives of both countries said that Minsk and Moscow would return to consider the draft Constitutional Act in March after the presidential elections in Russia.
“The coming to power of Dmitry Medvedev is unlikely to fundamentally change anything in the current situation. Minsk will try to continue using its previous tactics - making integration statements in the hope of receiving economic preferences in return,” Belarusian independent political scientist Alexander Klaskovsky told VN. In his opinion, this policy will continue until “as long as there are forces in Moscow ready to listen to Minsk’s integration statements.”