Government hides what it negotiates with Russia

MP Alena Anisim has received a reply to her address to PM Syarhei Rumas as regards the plan of further integration of Belarus and Russia. The PM has not given a personal reply. It was redirected it to Minister of Economy Dzmitry Kruty instead.

The fact that the integration programme is being created in secrecy is causing tension in the Belarusian society, Anisim noted in her appeal. However, the government’s opinion is different: “Publishing the draft of the Programme would contradict the common practice of organization of negotiations, could result in information manipulation and create a distorted notion of the integration process,” Dzmitry Kruty replied.

According to the document, the draft of the Programme of realization of the provisions of the Union State Treaty of December 8, 1999 is still a working document because it has not been signed by the Presidents of Russia and Belarus. It is supposed to be signed on December 8, 2019 – the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Union State. “The maps are still being prepared. They will contain a detailed description of the economic agreements between both sides” Kruty stated.

Furthermore, the Minister of Economy assured Alena Anisim (“upon the Prime Minister’s instructions”) that the integration documents “do not contain any political component and are not causing any threat to the sovereignty and independence of our Motherland – the Republic of Belarus.”

Interestingly, Syarhei Rumas (who refused to answer Alena Anisim’s address) used to say at the end of August 2019 that the programme would be published when it was ratified by the Prime Ministers:

"I think that the two states’ governments will publish it after the ratification so that the public would not be fear losing the sovereignty of something else. The programme is aimed at realising economic provisions only and contains mechanisms allowing to create a single market for the two states.”