Mikhail Mishustin and Roman Golovchenko made statements to the media following the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State
Mikhail Mishustin’s and Roman Golovchenko’s media statements
Excerpts from the transcript:
Roman Golovchenko: Members of the media,
Today we have held a regular meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State. Our dialogue with Russian colleagues was traditionally constructive and fruitful, it took place in an atmosphere of trust and in the spirit of allied and fraternal relations between our states and peoples.
It is symbolic that this meeting of the Union Council of Ministers and the forthcoming session of the Supreme State Council are being held on the eve of a significant date for us – the 25th anniversary of the Union State.
As you might remember, the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State was signed on 8 December 1999, and a joint action programme for its implementation was adopted.
Over the past quarter of a century, the integration of our countries has been steadily deepening, yielding results in the form of equal rights for citizens in many spheres, coordination of foreign and defence policies, joint economic, scientific, technical and humanitarian projects and programmes while fully preserving the sovereignty of Belarus and Russia.
And today, one can say for sure that we have made the right choice.
Union construction helps Belarus and Russia resist current challenges and threats, creates necessary conditions for further successful development of our countries, improvement of well-being and living standards of their peoples.
No doubt it is also critically important that our union has become a locomotive of integration trend in the post-Soviet space, in the Eurasian space.
During our today’s meeting we discussed a wide range of issues in a substantive and result-oriented manner, from trade and economic cooperation and designing a common information space strategy to the registration of the Union State's commodity status and the cancelling of roaming.
In total, we have considered 21 topics. We discussed all the issues in the context of providing for equal rights to the citizens of Belarus and Russia as we were instructed by Chairman of the Supreme Union State Council, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.
In particular, we will draft a decision of the Supreme Union State Council reducing inter-operator tariffs and providing Belarusian and Russian subscribers communication services at tariffs comparable to those used in the so-called home network from 1 March 2025 with at least 300 minutes of free incoming voice calls and at least 5 GB of data transfer per month. This will make it possible for people in the Union State to use even more voice services on easy terms and, for the first time ever, to transfer a considerable amount of data.
I want to stress that this is not a simple decision either in terms of technology or economy. However, that was the presidents’ instruction and it has been performed.
We have endorsed a draft decree of the Supreme State Council on common competition rules and consumer rights protection. This meaningful document accumulates the best approaches of the Russian and Belarusian legislation towards the protection of consumer rights. Its adoption will be conducive for strengthening and developing the common economic space of the Union State and make it possible for our citizens to have a high protection level in the future.
We continue to attentively monitor the observance of equal rights of citizens in the Union State so that our people can fully and equally enjoy the benefits that the Union State provides in matters of labour, medical care, social guarantees and other areas.
We have approved the draft resolution of the Supreme State Council endorsing the plan for organising and holding events to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. It includes the most significant events to be held in Belarus and Russia during this sacred holiday for the peoples of our countries. And of course, the main goal is to commemorate the contribution of the Soviet people to the Great Victory.
In addition, we have established today a media company of the Union State, approved its charter and its supervisory board membership. It will act as a single editorial board and content customer for content promoting Union construction, its achievements, and covering major events including on third-party television channels and information platforms.
We have also considered the issue of granting the status of the Union State Product to the products of Belarusian and Russian industrial enterprises. Experts on both sides are to lay down criteria whereby such products may be referred to as Union State Products, identify the areas where they should be applied, establish the procedure for adopting and assigning the status and resolve some matters of the organisational and protocol nature.
This is required to finally solve the issue of granting the national identification to all goods produced in the Union State.
I am sure that the implementation of today’s decisions will help execute the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State, promote the Belarusian and Russian economies and raise our citizens’ standard of life.
I thank once again all the participants and particularly Mikhail Mishustin.
Mikhail Mishustin: Thank you. Members of the media,
I would first like to express my gratitude to Roman Golovchenko and our Belarusian colleagues for their traditional hospitality and the exemplary organisation of the Union State Council of Ministers meeting.
As we approach December, we shall mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Union State. Throughout these years, Russia and Belarus have steadfastly journeyed together. United, we resist unlawful sanctions and external pressures, upholding the sovereignty of our peoples and the rights of each individual in Russia and Belarus.
Under the leadership of our Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, we are forging a unified economic, cultural, and humanitarian space. We are committed to establishing favourable conditions for our citizens to live, conduct business, enhance mutual investments in our nations, and initiate pivotal innovative projects across all sectors. Moreover, we are determined to address the challenges that confront us.
We have just concluded a meeting of the Union State Council of Ministers.
Pursuant to the instructions of our Presidents, we are collaboratively advancing the integration within the Union State. The planned measures, which extend to 2026, encompass approximately 310 specific actions that have been consensually agreed upon by our federal executive bodies and Governments for implementation.
A number of significant decisions have been made, and I will briefly outline them.
In the realm of mobile communication, as Belarusians travel to Russia and Russians visit Belarus, it is, of course, desirable for telephone calls and internet usage to be charged at domestic rates, which are familiar to all. We are methodically implementing the directive of our Presidents, and today we have made several crucial decisions to ensure that rates are comparable to home network rates.
Citizens of Russia and Belarus are also keen on enhancing transport connectivity, particularly between border regions. Notably, several decisions have been taken today to establish cross-border commuter rail services. This initiative will simplify travel, enhance mobility, and facilitate ease of movement for our people.
We have also endorsed, as Mr Golovchenko mentioned, a draft decree of the Supreme State Council concerning unified consumer protection regulations. These are slated for approval in early December at the Supreme State Council session. This initiative will harmonise our national legal standards regarding the quality of goods and services, and, crucially, it will fortify the legal protections for our citizens, shielding them from, shall we say, unscrupulous business practices.
We have devoted particular attention to the cultural domain.
I wish to underscore several decisions in this regard. We are advancing to the practical realisation of the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of the Union State. Our efforts to establish the Union State Network University of High Technologies will persist, focusing on training personnel essential to our economies. Today, the anchor universities for this initiative have been designated as Kazan Federal University and Belarusian State Technological University.
A unified information space is under development. As you may be aware, a media holding of the Union State has been established. It is tasked with delivering engaging content for our citizens, especially the youth, while broadening awareness of the tangible outcomes of integration for the benefit of every Union State citizen.
The Standing Committee's plan to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War has also been approved. This date is sacred to our peoples. The plan encompasses various educational and cultural events, festivals, competitions and celebrations which will enlighten the younger generation of the Union State, among others, about the Victory and the pivotal role of our brotherly peoples in defeating Nazi Germany. These are crucial chapters of our shared history, and together we shall honour the triumph and the contributions of those on the home front.
The meeting of the Council of Ministers is vital for the comprehensive preparation of the Supreme State Council of the Union State session with the involvement of our Presidents.
Today, we have reaffirmed the commitment of Russia and Belarus to further advance our constructive integration. I am confident that the decisions taken today will allow us to make substantial progress towards achieving the core objectives of the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State, for the benefit of our fraternal peoples.
Once again, I extend my thanks to Roman Golovchenko and all my colleagues for the constructive dialogue, and to you, esteemed media representatives, for your diligent work.
