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Medvedev, Putin send New Year wishes to Lukashenka

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have sent their New Year wishes to Alyaksandr Lukashenka, said the Kremlin’s press office.

“The launch of the Single Economic Zone, scheduled for January 1, 2012, will open up new opportunities to increase our ties in various areas,” said Mr. Medvedev in his message. “Moving toward the next stage in the integration, the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union, is on the agenda now.”

Belarusian-Russian partnership received a fresh “positive” impetus in the year 2011, as “real progress was made under mutually beneficial integration projects,” he added.

The Single Economic Zone, which would start operation next year, and work on the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union will “help strengthen further Russian-Belarusian partnership and contribute to the prosperity of the brotherly nations of the two countries,” the press office of the Russian government quoted Mr. Putin as saying in his message addressed to the Belarusian leader.

Mr. Putin also extended his New Year wishes to his Belarusian counterpart, Mikhail Myasnikovich. In the message, he “noted with satisfaction the successful development of cooperation between Russia and Belarus in all areas,” said the press office. //BelaPAN