"Today, we confirmed our interest in drafting that intergovernmental agreement. We are eager to pull down all commercial barriers," he reassured.
The two countries share stances on foreign trade, and have coordinated them on all levels, added the Premier.
"We are not to level out the barriers but reduce them to the least possible," he pointed out.
Mr. Fradkov thinks it too early now to forecast the outcome of Gasprom-Beltransgas corporate negotiations on Russian gas exports to Belarus. "The job is on, and I don't want to predict what the talks will lead to."
He went over to negotiations with his Belarussian counterpart. "We offered our reasons to each other today. I think we understood each other. We are limiting our involvement to that-it is up to the companies to negotiate on gas supplies," he said.
The Gasprom previously offered to Belarus to fully satisfy its gas demands for next year at 19.1 million cubic metres. The Russian mammoth ventured to do it singlehanded. Belarus, however, insists on independent Russian-based exporters to join the Gasprom next year.
During the Council of Ministers session, the two countries' Prime Ministers determined to increase next year's union budget, announced Sergei Sidorsky, Belarussian Prime Minister, as he was summing up the session.
"We have reached an understanding for Russia and Belarus each to make more contributions on programmes we debated today, and on which no work has been done this year. It is up to the two Finance Ministers to determine the budget sums," he said.
