Belarus Admits Withdrawing the Union State with Russia

Belarus may withdraw from the Union State of Russia and Belarus, but only complying with the requirements of the Belarusians. Hypothetically this issue can be brought up for a plebiscite, said Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei. Makei believes it possible for Belarus to withdraw from the process of forming the Union State with the Russian Federation in the future. The only possible premise for such a step could be a referendum, the minister explained in an interview with the Belarusian media, the text of which was published by Euroradio. If the citizens of the country decide that the union with Russia is no longer relevant, they will have the right to voice the corresponding demand to the country’s authorities. Then, a referendum can be held in the republic. However, while all discussions on this topic are hypothetic – according to sociologists, the majority of Belarusians support integration with the Russian Federation. The fact that the proportion of citizens who favor close cooperation with both Russia and the European Union is increasing is not a cause for concern. Moreover Makei said that Minsk had not coordinated its foreign policy line with the Russian leadership. Belarus has complete independence in determining its position regarding of any nature whatsoever. As for integration issues, these ones are not discussed on the political level, it is a matter of purely economic aspects. At the same time, the minister confirmed that the Russian side had previously proposed the formation of certain supranational bodies of the Union State, which did not suit Belarus. As a result, at a meeting of heads of states Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko this July, such steps were deemed inappropriate. In particular, the parties abandoned the idea of creating a single central bank. A financial regulator should not appear in a situation where countries have not established a full-fledged economic partnership, otherwise a roof without a foundation will be built, says Makei. For the same reason, it was decided to refuse to adopt a single Constitution, the emergence of which is stipulated in the current version of the Union Treaty. According to the minister, it is not planned to publicize the preliminary version of the integration program. In December, in the eve of the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Union State Putin and Lukashenko will meet to determine the optimal form for informing citizens about integration plans. According to the Belarusian diplomat, the documents that Moscow and Minsk are planning to sign are not the most exciting issue for society. It should be assumed that Belarus is not going to give up sovereignty or trade in it. All the steps of the country’s leadership will be warranted exclusively by national interests. It is absurd to admit that the first president of the state who actually created it will give up independence, Makei added. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus is convinced that generations of residents of the republic who were born after the collapse of the USSR do not think their lives differently than in sovereign Belarus. Therefore, Moscow and Minsk should concentrate on agreeing the common rules in economy, agriculture, industry, customs control. For example, both countries suffer from the flow of smuggled goods from the east. In the energy sector, Minsk is interested in equal business conditions for Russian and Belarusian companies. There should be unified markets for electricity, gas and oil between countries. He also recognized the existence of economic dependence on Moscow, but stressed that Russia was not interested in bringing Belarus to a crisis. In addition, Minsk is pursuing a policy of getting rid of mono-dependence and diversifying the economy. The main task is the fifty-fifty distribution of trade with the EAEU, EU and non-CIS countries. Makei also claimed that Belarus suffer losses because of its geographical location, meaning that there are big economic constraint between Russia and the EU. Among foreign policy threats in Minsk, militarization is singled out. Both Russia and the western countries are involved in the arms race, which intends to increase the number of troops in neighboring countries, which poses a potential threat to the country’s sovereignty, the diplomat said. Unfavorable factor is the lack of confidence in the dialogue with other countries, so Minsk seeks improvement in communication and relations with neighborhood countries. wek.ru