Russian-Belarusian agreement on single currency might be signed in September

A Russian-Belarusian agreement on using the Russian ruble as a single legal payment instrument in Belarus might be signed in the first half of September 2003, the Government Information Department reported to journalists after a meeting of Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov with his deputies and some ministers. Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin made a report about the draft of this agreement.

Kudrin also informed the participants of some amendments to the 2004 federal budget draft that took into account proposals made at a government meeting on August 14. As reported earlier, the 2004 budget draft will be submitted to the Russian State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, on August 26.

At today's meeting the participants also considered some aspects of pension reforms.