On February 3, 2009, the Supreme State Council of the Russia-Belarus Union State will meet in Moscow to endorse a plan of joint action aimed at overcoming the consequences of the crisis. On January 30, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Sidorsky signed the relevant document at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State.
According to the Russian prime minister, "we need effective joint measures to minimise the negative consequences of the world crisis for our economies." Both countries must fully use the advantages of integration, encourage mutual trade and strengthen production cooperation. Russia-Belarus trade amounted to $34 billion last year. "The priority is obvious here: the formation of a real Customs Union and a single economic space," Putin said. He underlined that, within a Customs Union, "Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus should reach coordinated decisions."
"If Belarus has no objections to this plan of joint action, there will be no problem with the loan, a Russian representative of the Council of Ministers told Izvestia daily.
There were no objections. Therefore, Putin promised Sidorsky that the issue of a second $1 billion tranche of the loan to be granted by Russia to support the Belarusian economy "will be stepped up" (Belarus received the first tranche of the $2 billion loan in November 2008). However, Russia is not the only country Belarus turns to for help. It also hopes to get a loan of over $2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In addition, it may become a participant in the EU Eastern Partnership programme which also provides for financial assistance. Russia's Belarusian partners prefer not to mention such approaches in Moscow.
Antipova Natalia
