OREANDA-NEWS. December 11, 2009. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held a meeting of Supreme State Council (SSC) of Union State in honour of 10th anniversary of signing the Treaty Establishing the Union State of Russia and Belarus.
 
Before the meeting of the SSC Dmitry Medvedev and Alexander Lukashenko met one-on-one; they were then joined by prime ministers Vladimir Putin and Sergei Sidorsky. In total, the meeting lasted about five hours.

Speaking at the opening of the SSC meeting, Mr Medvedev noted that over the past ten years much has been done to further integration. This will allow the two countries to move forward and reach agreements such as the establishment of a single customs area.

The President of Russia stressed that a fundamental decision on cooperation in the oil industry has been reached, and this will be the most important thing for promoting up-to-date relations in this field.

According to the President, the agreement on the development of military technical cooperation signed during the SSC meeting holds great importance. Mr Medvedev expects that all state procedures relating to this document will take place swiftly.

Dmitry Medvedev also said that Russian and Belarusian foreign policy will benefit from a special degree of coordination. This is because a great deal in the international arena depends on the position of the two countries.

The meeting's agenda included cooperation between Russia and Belarus in trade, economic and financial spheres, in fuel and energy, in the social sphere, and foreign policy cooperation.

The meeting was attended by speakers of the respective chambers of parliaments of Russia and Belarus, ministers and other senior officials. A number of bilateral documents, including a joint declaration, were signed.