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Lukashenka: Eurasian Economic Union treaty should be more economic than political

The Treaty on the Formation of the Eurasian Economic Union should be more economic than political, Alyaksandr Lukashenka suggested while meeting Tuesday in Minsk with Viktor Khristenko, chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

“I would like to know from you what predominates in it, politics or economy,” Mr. Lukashenka said, according to the presidential press office. “I would like the latter. Certainly, we cannot do without politics, but nonetheless, it is going to be an economic union.”

Before his meeting with the former Russian deputy prime minister, Mr. Lukashenka met with Syarhey Rumas, Belarus’ representative on the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission, to be updated about the draft Treaty on the Formation of the Eurasian Economic Union, which was to be discussed by the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia later on Tuesday.

The Belarusian leader asked Mr. Khristenko to tell him sincerely what Minsk had to do or change to have the draft treaty ready for signing as scheduled.

Mr. Khristenko said that he was satisfied with the draft and assured Mr. Lukashenka that the treaty would cover all aspects of the Eurasian Economic Union as precisely an economic union.

Mr. Khristenko stressed the importance of the meeting that the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia were expected to hold in Minsk later in the day, noting that there were economic issues, such as trade in crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas, that could not be discussed without the involvement of the heads of state. //BelaPAN