MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko co-chaired a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State Russia-Belarus via video conference on Thursday.

In his opening remarks, Putin said it is important to create "an atmosphere of stability and security" on external borders of the "Union State." It is based on a treaty signed in 1999 aimed at greater integration of the two countries.

"We intend to jointly resist any attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of our sovereign states, and Russia, of course, will continue to provide assistance to the fraternal Belarusian people – there is no doubt about it," Putin said.

The president added that full-fledged economic integration of the Union State is impossible without fully ensuring the labor visa-free mobility of the population, and at the same time take into account all security risks in this area.

"This is what the Concept of the Migration Policy of the Union State prepared by our Governments is aimed at. A lot of work has also been done here," he said.

Lukashenko said "the unification of our troops at the regional level is a security shield not only for our countries, but also for the entire former Soviet geography."

After the meeting, Putin and Lukashenko signed a decree ratifying the program of the Union State of Russia-Belarus, and also approved the "Military Doctrine of the Union State."

The roadmap of 28 points of the program includes coordination on macroeconomic and monetary and credit policies, as well as having common policies on industry, agriculture and energy, among others.

Lukashenko has moved closer to Russia since a disputed presidential election in August 2020, in which he won a sixth term. The EU and US termed the vote as rigged, and have since imposed sanctions.