Decision to advance Belarus-Russia integration hailed as forward-looking

The decision made by the presidents of Belarus and Russia to advance the integration between the two countries turned out to be forward-looking in the face of unfolding pressure from the West, Vladimir Andreichenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, said at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia in Moscow on 19 December, BelTA has learned.

"The confrontation in the world has reached its climax. The collective West aims to push us out to the margins of history,  to deplete our resources, abolish culture, slander the values and dehumanize us in the eyes of the international community. For the sake of preserving the hegemony, they have resorted to political blackmail, intimidation, and outright economic banditry. How else can one assess attempts to appropriate the assets of a sovereign state or impose the principles of trade that are incompatible with the market economy laws? In this regard, we need to laud the political foresight of the heads of our states, who made a landmark decision to dramatically reinforce the economic foundation in the Union State," Vladimir Andreichenko said.

"The decree adopted by the Supreme State Council in November 2021 was a step forward, which helps withstand the sanctions todaty," he stressed.

Vladimir Andreichenko noted that about 60% of the tasks set in 28 integration programs have already been completed. However, he said, the situation calls for more decisive action. "Unfortunately, deadlines of some programs have been disrupted. A number of issues remain unresolved," the chairman of the House of Representatives stated.