The meeting focused on the concept of a common economic space and a raft of measures to integrate the four economies.
The High-Level Group includes Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Nikolai Azarov, Belarus’s Deputy Prime Minister and Economics Minister Andrei Kobyakov, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Sauat Mynbaev, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko, and State Secretary and First Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin. The Group was set up on the initiative of the four heads of state with a view to drawing up agreements on a common economic space.
Talking with the participants, President Putin expressed confidence that Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia would be able to establish a common economic space. But, in his opinion, this must be done absolutely voluntarily, observing the principle of sovereignty, and only given a full and total understanding of the benefits for each when taking the decision.
These economies have been closely tied with and dependant upon one another since Soviet times, he stressed. Therefore, the success of each of them had a favourable effect on the neighbouring countries, while any incautious step led to problems for all.
The President acknowledged that integration was giving rise to much debate, creating questions and difficulties. But he said he was convinced that hard as the task might be, it was a creative process and one benefiting the people of the four countries. He noted that although contradictions between the countries were considerable, the natural processes in economics involving globalisation were leading to a common economic space all the same.
President Putin urged the Group’s members to persuade the political leaderships of their countries to adopt a definite timeline and to finalise the details of a common economic space.
Mr Khristenko assured President Putin that Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia would prepare the required documents by the September CIS summit.
President Putin also said that Russia and other CIS countries should join the World Trade Organisation not only on acceptable terms, but on ones favourable to their economies. It is from that standpoint, he said, that one should view cooperation with the WTO and alignment of relations with the main partner – the European Union.