2010 union state's budget to remain at current level

The Council of Ministers of Belarus and Russia has approved a 2010 draft budget of the Union State. The meeting of the government officials from the two countries headed by Belarus PM Siarhei Sidorski and Russian PM Vladimir Putin took place on October 28 in Moscow, reports Ria Novosti news agency.
Vladimir Putin said after the talks that the volume of contributions from the two countries was preserved at this year level.

The current budget amounts to almost $168 million, with Russia contributing 65 percent and Belarus -- 35 percent.

Putin also noted that the implementation of joint actions to mitigate the consequences of the global crisi "has yielded real results by stimulating business activity".