Belarus is ready to discuss the topic of a single currency with Russia

The leadership of Belarus does not exclude the possibility of introducing a single currency of the Union State, denying the possibility of uniform rules of tax and customs legislation. This was announced on July 1 by the Ambassador of Belarus to Russia Vladimir Semashko. Read the story news: The Union State of Russia and Belarus In the single emission center of the common currency of the Union State of Russia and Belarus should be equal regardless of the size of the economies, the representative of official Minsk believes. Semashko explained: If any decision is made on emission, devaluation, then it should be made by consensus. The Belarusian state news agency BelTA cites the opinion of the representative of the official Minsk on another sensitive issue of integration: As for tax and customs legislation, they cannot be the same a priori due to differences in the economy, they can only be unified, the diplomat emphasized. Read the analysis of the plot: Russia and Belarus: an interaction strategy As the news agency reported, throughout 2019, Alexander Lukashenko negotiated with Vladimir Putin on the implementation of the agreement signed in 1999 on the creation of the Union State of Russia and Belarus. The agreement provides for the creation of a full-fledged union parliament and other supranational bodies, as well as the introduction of a single currency. The governments developed and initialed roadmaps that Lukashenko refused to sign and, thus, thwarted the implementation of the agreement, as well as the celebration of the 20th anniversary of union construction. The discussion of union integration continued in 2020: on February 7, talks between Putin and Lukashenko took place in Sochi, at which issues of Russian energy supplies to Belarus were also considered. In December 2019, amid the failure of integration negotiations, Lukashenko forbade signing contracts for the supply of gas and oil from the Russian Federation under the pretext of strengthening energy independence from Moscow. Read the plot comments: Russian-Belarusian crisis