OREANDA-NEWS. Belarus and the Russian Federation are negotiating to unify the excise policy, while Minsk is demanding that subsequent changes don't negatively affect the domestic market. The head of the Ministry of Finance of Belarus, Maxim Yermolovich, told journalists on Tuesday after a meeting on improving the efficiency of the tobacco industry.

“Negotiations are underway to unify the excise policy both within the EAEU and in our relations with Russia”, said Yeromolovich, who is quoted by the Belarusian News Agency. “The president clearly outlines the conditions for further movement in excise taxes: this shouldn't negatively affect the state of internal market. Accordingly, it shouldn't lead to a sharp increase in prices in the domestic market for our population".

In this regard, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko instructed to develop plans for a response to the deployment of NATO and US military contingents at their borders. Lukashenko in October 2019 expressed concern about the upcoming NATO exercises at the Belarusian borders.