VITEBSK, 16 July (BelTA) – State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota believes that there is no need to set up a coordination council to manage integration in the post-Soviet space. He made this statement at a press conference in Vitebsk on 15 July, BelTA has learnt. Grigory Rapota mentioned integration projects, like the CIS, EurAsEC, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, GUAM, and CSTO. “There are many of them. Countries that became independent and started looking for their place in the world are searching for best integration formats. There were many hesitations and disputes what model to choose,” he said. The State Secretary underlined that the states should opt for their own development model taking into consideration their peculiarities. “It is very good that there are many integration associations. The needless ones will be eliminated as life goes on,” Grigory Rapota said. He noted that the CIS is a very good negotiating platform for countries and it should be preserved. “In my opinion, the Customs Union is the most promising one. It has already been set up; all we need is just to flesh it out. The Single Economic Space is very promising, too,” Grigory Rapota said. He noted that he does not deem it necessary to set up a single center to coordinate integration processes in the post-Soviet space. According to Grigory Rapota, “one form cannot match everyone”. All the issues can be discussed within the CIS. “Each of us will choose its own path, but we will go hand in hand,” Grigory Rapota concluded.

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