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“I am sorry to say that there are still a number of important issues that remain unresolved,” Mr. Lukashenka said .
He pointed out that several agreements had not been carried out.
In particular, he said that there was still no free movement of workforce, capital and goods within the EAEU.
He also noted the lack of equal conditions for economic entities and citizens.
“If there are no equal conditions, there is no union,” he stressed.
According to Mr. Lukashenka, Russia continued to take steps to remove trade barriers and restrictions within the EAEU during its EAEU chairmanship this year.
“This is truly one of our union’s most acute problems that the Belarusian side highlighted several years ago,” Mr. Lukashenka said. “But the issue is being resolved inexcusably slowly. Moreover, the removed barriers are replaced with new ones. I consider this practice to be completely unacceptable and violating the agreements that were reached. It is important not only to remove barriers but simultaneously create conditions excluding the possibility of their reappearance.”
Mr. Lukashenka suggested that the Eurasian Economic Commission be given the power to make decisions in case an EAEU member country reintroduces some trade restrictions or prolongs the existing ones.
“It is necessary to exclude protectionism during decision-making,” he stressed.
“Everybody sitting at this table responded to global protectionism by rudely describing it as economic wars. So why do we create them here?” Mr. Lukashenka wondered.
“It is also necessary to increase the responsibility of representatives of the executive bodies of our countries for making decisions running counter to the principles set out in our treaty on [the establishment of] the EAEU,” he said.
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