Prime Minister Putin's introductory remarks:

Mr Sidorsky, members of the Council of Ministers,

Today we will consider a wide range of issues having to do with cooperation between Belarus and Russia. There are over 20 items on the agenda ranging from the Union State's budget to Union State awards for literature and art for 2009 and 2010.

It is obvious that we should concentrate on issues having to do with economic integration. Given the current state of affairs, these issues are especially important for our heavily interconnected economies right now.

We will also look at the results of our joint efforts in trade and the economy during the first six months of 2009, and the effectiveness of our joint plans to allay the effects of the crisis.

I would like to underscore that this plan has already had a positive impact on the Russian and Belarusian economies, and has encouraged trade between our two countries. There are also a lot of other means to encourage trade further. We must try our best to use the advantages that come from our two countries' integration to recover from the crisis.

The official establishment of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan on January 1, 2010 will also contribute to fulfilling this goal. We expect that it will allow us to take cooperation between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan to a new level.

In addition, it is necessary to thoroughly review how efficiently Union funds allocated for joint programmes are being spent. High-tech projects remain one of our highest priorities.

It is vital that we continue joint efforts to ensure a decent living and social safety net for our citizens and develop our human capital. This is why we have prepared and approved the Concept for the Union State Social Development. Today we will analyse how its key provisions are being implemented.

We will also highlight a number of issues that are very important for increasing bilateral cooperation, such as coordination of our steps in foreign policy, interaction between law-enforcement agencies, and so on.

I would like to remind you that soon we will celebrate the tenth anniversary of signing the Treaty on Establishing the Union State, a milestone in the relations of our brotherly nations. I believe we must adequately prepare for the celebrations of this memorial date.

In conclusion, I would like to express my confidence that the meeting of the Council of Ministers will be held in a constructive and business-like manner, as is always the case.