Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia would like Ukraine to become part of their Common Economic Zone, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said in Kyiv on Tuesday while meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych.
"As for the Customs Union, the Common Economic Zone formed by the three states, you know my attitude to this, it is the same as Russia’s and Kazakhstan’s," he said, according to the Belarusian government’s news agency BelTA. "We would very much like Ukraine to not only cooperate [with us] but be together with us in the Common Economic Zone."
Mr. Lukashenka predicted a bright future for the Customs Union. "This will be a most powerful alliance," he said. "I think that the whole world will reckon with such an alliance. And this is our common opinion. As for me personally, Ukraine is not a foreign country for me and I will do everything as the head of state to maintain close and friendly relations that are as beneficial as possible to Ukraine." // BelaPAN
