Russia, Belarus have resources to boost trade - Medvedev
GORKI, Russia. May 21 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he expected trade between Russia and Belarus to pick up after a sag in volume this year.
Last year "was quite positive for relations between the two countries," with trade reaching about $45 billion or the highest annual volume in the history of Russian-Belarusian relations, Medvedev said during a meeting with Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich.
"This year the situation has been a bit more difficult, but by and large we do have the resources to build up the pace of cooperation and sustain the positive achievements of recent years," the Russian prime minister said.
Myasnikovich told his Russian counterpart he wanted to raise some issues of Russian-Belarusian economic relations, including "something that our ministers have, to an extent, worked through but there is need for decisions by the [prime ministers] in order, if not to finish various projects, then at least get close to logical solutions."
"I would have thought they ought to be finished," Medvedev said.
"I agree," Myasnikovich replied.
He congratulated Medvedev on his government's first anniversary.