Russian, Belarusian Presidents Discuss Economic Ties

Belarusian President Lukashenka (L) and Russian President Putin in Sochi (epa) 15 December 2005 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin called for closer trade ties between Russia and Belarus ahead of a three-hour meeting on 15 December with his Belarusian counterpart Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

The meeting, held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, focused mainly on economic issues, including energy and the harmonization of customs regulations.

However, the two presidents also reviewed military ties and progress made in efforts to create a union state between Russia and Belarus, Putin's spokesman Aleksei Gromov said.

(ITAR-TASS)