Russia and Belarus have achieved a lot in the sphere of economic integration in the 10 years since the creation of the Union State, President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday.
"These 10 years have passed very fast, much has been done and much not done yet," Medvedev said at a meeting of the Union State Supreme State Council in Moscow.
Russia and Belarus have sought to form a union to ensure greater political, economic and social integration since 1996, but the process has stalled over a series of disputes.
However, both countries have recently reaffirmed their efforts to adhere to the founding principles of the Union State and move forward "in the interests of the well-being of Russia and Belarus."
"This event [the tenth anniversary] gives a special tone to our meeting and stresses the necessity to continue constructive, pragmatic work on all aspects of Russian-Belarusian interaction," Medvedev said.
The Council's meeting is expected to result in the signing of a number of documents, including a program on coordinated actions in the sphere of foreign policy and a treaty on the development of military-technical cooperation.
The Russian president pledged in November a 30-40% discount on natural gas for Belarus in 2010, while Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said last week that a cut in energy prices for Belarus should coincide with Minsk's integration into the Union State with Russia.
MOSCOW, December 10 (RIA Novosti)
