Putin says Russia-Belarus trade turnover rises to $45B

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The trade turnover between Russia and Belarus has risen to $45 billion, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

Meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Aleksandr Lukashenko in the capital Moscow, Putin said that according to the Russian estimates, the trade turnover rose to $45 billion, while Belarus estimated it at $50 billion.

Lukashenko said that the figures differ because Minsk also counted services provided to the Russian companies in addition to the supplied goods.

Putin and Lukashenko agreed to discuss 28 joint programs aimed at boosting economic cooperation within the Union State – an association between Russia and Belarus created to deepen the integration in economic and defense policy.