Opinion: Belarus-Russia union acts as integration driver on post-Soviet space
The beginning of the New Year's Eve week was rich in important political events. An informal meeting of the CIS heads of state was held in St. Petersburg, attended by President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko. Later, the Head of State also met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. A deputy of the House of Representatives, Oleg Gaidukevich, shared his opinion on the importance of such events for the integration process in the region.
In his talk with the ONT TV channel, the MP said that the meeting of Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin was especially important in the series of recent events. “Not because the CIS format is unimportant (on the contrary, it is very important!), or other formats. This year, the Head of State has promoted the EAEU and the SCO as well. The fact is that the union of Belarus and Russia is a driver of integration on the post-Soviet space,” Mr. Gaidukevich explained.
Speaking about summing up the results of the integration year, the MP drew attention to a successful fight against Western sanctions, “When sanctions were imposed on Belarus and Russia, when a hybrid war was unleashed against our countries, I think the West least expected exactly such results in 2022, since its actions were supposed to lead to a collapse of our economies and the domestic political situation (this was primarily planned for Belarus and Russia, but attempts will continue in other CIS countries). Instead, they [in the West] now witness the strengthening of the Union State integration project. In the EAEU, Belarus and Russia evidently set the tone, showing how integration should develop. Moreover, instead of a collapse of the domestic political systems, the West can observe their strengthening. There has been consolidation within the countries: around Lukashenko in Belarus and around Putin in Russia. Those in the West expected that the economy would collapse due to sanctions, that Minsk and Moscow would fall on knees, that huge import problems would begin, and that we would not be able to occupy new markets. Instead, they see the smiling presidents of Belarus and Russia.”
