OREANDA-NEWS. June 02, 2009. The First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Olexandr Turchynov and First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Volodymyr Semashko have signed Protocol of the 16-th sitting of the Intergovernmental commission in the aftermath of Ukraine-Belarus intergovernmental mixed commission for trade and economic cooperation meeting today. The parties also agreed on realization of Memorandum between the governments and national banks of Ukraine and Belarus for elaboration of a system of measures directed to intensification of bipartite trade-economic cooperation under conditions of the global financial and economic turmoil (the memorandum itself was signed on January 20, 2009 in Homel).

“We don’t just devise plans but realize them clearly,” Olexandr Turchynov urged and added it is confirmed by a record turnover between Ukraine and Belarus which amounted USD 5 billion in 2008. As Olexandr Turchynov put it, this year trade turnover between the states has downed to a certain degree so one of the tasks of 2009 is returning last year’s dynamics.

In his turn, the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Volodymyr Semashko underlined the sitting also dealt with issues of preparation of a meeting of prime ministers of Ukraine and Belarus in Kyiv on June 12. According to him, this event is intended for signing of five bilateral agreements, particularly concerning increase of a term of stay of Ukraine’s citizens on the territory of Belarus without registration.