Meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State may be held in April-May

The meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State is tentatively scheduled to be held in April-May 2023, reported in the press service of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko following the February 5 telephone conversation between the head of the republic and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

“Due to the fact that a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State is scheduled for February, the Supreme State Council is tentatively scheduled to be held in April-May,” the press service said in a statement.

It is assumed that all the necessary documents formalizing the “existing agreements” will be signed at the meeting.

In addition, the leaders of the two countries discussed issues of bilateral relations – in particular, further steps to ensure the security of Russia and Belarus. Putin and Lukashenko agreed to fix the date of the meeting “in the near future”. “Its main goal will be to control the execution by the two governments of the instructions given by the presidents earlier. First of all, in the field of import substitution and in all areas of anti-sanction cooperation,” the press service specified.

The Supreme State Council of the Union State includes the heads of states, governments and heads of the chambers of parliaments of Russia and Belarus.

On December 19, 2022, Putin visited Minsk for the first time since 2019, where he met with Lukashenka. During the talks, the Russian President declaredthat Belarus is an ally of Russia “in the literal sense.” “I want to note that everything is already well known. But still, it must be emphasized that Belarus is not only a good neighbor with whom we have been working, taking into account each other’s interests over the past years. Belarus is our ally in the truest sense of the word,” he said. At a press conference following the talks, Putin assuredthat Russia has no plans to absorb Belarus.