MINSK, June 24 (RIA Novosti) - A Russia-Belarus Union constitutional draft will be submitted for consideration to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko in the fall, the Russia-Belarus Union Parliament decided at a session Friday in Gomel, Belarus.
"The constitution's draft will be submitted for consideration at the session of the intergovernmental Russia-Belarus Council and the Supreme Council of the Union State. After consideration, we will act in accordance with the agreement on the formation of the union state that envisages the holding of a referendum and elections," said Boris Gryzlov, the speaker of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament.
Lukashenko said time proved the viability and effectiveness of the union, in his opening address to parliament members.
According to Lukashenko, a Common Economic Space is gradually forming. More than 35 important intergovernmental programs were implemented and hundreds of thousands of jobs were created in both countries.
"We have a stable trade turnover between our countries, which amounted to $17.6 billion in 2004 or 40% higher than in 2003," he said.
According to Lukashenko, current efforts are aimed at the prosperity of the two countries' citizens.
Current economic and political conditions in the former Soviet republics prove that the Russia-Belarus Union is one of the most important factors determining future integration in the post-Soviet Space, Lukashenko said.
