BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/08/2006

Customs Union priority for EurAsEC - president of Belarus

Customs Union priority for EurAsEC - president of Belarus MINSK. The EurAsEC is becoming a real economic union taken into consideration in the West and in the East. And formation of an efficient Customs Union remains a priority, Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus, said at a meeting with Belarusian representatives in international bodies August 8, Kazakhstan Today reports citing the Belarusian presidential press service.

The huge economic, energy, and human potential of the EurAsEC member states can turn the EurAsEC in perspective into a serious player in international economic and political processes, Belarusian president believes.

Speaking about the participation of the republic in the integrating organisations in general, Mr. Lukashenko said that Belarus was the most coherent and active motor of the Eurasian integration. According to him, results of the recent EurAsEC and CSTO summits in Minsk convincingly confirmed it.

"The time shows that these organisations can be active integrating centres attractive for others," - he said.

Mr. Lukashenko believes that the CSTO must become an independent subject in the international relations and provide security of its member states.

The head of Belarus stated that although there were problematic issues in those organisations, at the same time the CSTO had become a full participant of the international security system. "Our interest and our participation is the group of Belarusian-Russian troops in the Western direction. It is our responsibility zone in the CSTO. First of all we will undertake actions to provide security of the CSTO member states," - he observed.

Moreover he declared: "We will never be mere observers in any other events in Asia and Russia that do not contradict our Constitution."

In his view, the CSTO efficiency greatly depends on the capacity of its member states to work out a unitary approach, their readiness to take concerted actions. "Therefore we expect from our CSTO representatives some active work on further improvement of the coordination," - Mr. Lukashenko said.

The current situation in the world confirms an important significance of the preventive instruments, this is why improvement of our informational and analytical work is one of chief elements of the CSTO development.

Among other CSTO priorities there is also creation and development of a system for reacting to emergencies, military and technical co-operation, he concluded.

Source:

http://eng.gazeta.kz/art.asp?aid=78885

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