MOSCOW. July 2 (Interfax) - Security aspects should be prioritized in relations between Russia and Belarus, Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said.
"We understand by definition that security aspects is something that should be given priority on our agenda," the Duma website quoted Volodin as telling Belarusian journalists during his trip to Minsk.
The two countries should do their utmost at the parliamentary level to build a common legal framework and develop the Belarus-Russia Union State, Volodin said. "Both the Russian and the Belarusian economy should benefit from this. Citizens should benefit from this. That's how we see our duty," he said.
The relationship between Russia and Belarus could serve as an example of unprecedented comprehensive cooperation based on "principles of respect and non-interference in affairs of sovereign countries," he said.