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Belarus remains Russia’s closest partner, Moscow has sent proposals on further integration to Minsk, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said after his address to the nation’s lower house of parliament, reporting on the performances of his cabinet in 2018, TASS agency reported.

"Belarus remains our closest partner, it is member of the Union State," he said, reiterating that the Union Treaty marks 20 years in 2019. "At the present moment, we are engaged in a conversation with our colleagues, our partners from Belarus, about how to make this integration more substantial. Our proposals on integration have been passed to our Belarusian friends," Medvedev said.

The official Minsk is "deciding what is acceptable for them and what is less acceptable," Medvedev said. "Contacts continue, our agencies are working," he said, stressing that Belarus is a very important market for Russia.