Creating the future together

The geopolitical importance of the Union State: how the integration association of Belarus and Russia plays a key role in the region

April 2nd is Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia — one of the most significant dates of the Union State. Our countries have a great many points of co-operation, from the common Soviet past to the present, where we work together in the field of culture, industry and science. Now it is important to realise and determine the role and place of the integration association of the two Slavic peoples in modern geopolitical processes. Over the past 30 years, we have seen the active formation and strengthening of various unions, associations, alliances on economic, political and military principles. Why is the role of the Union State so important now and what is the future of our integration in global politics and economics? It is important to look at what has been achieved so far before answering these questions.

From Brest to Vladivostok

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, emphasised the fact that the Union State is actually one Fatherland from Brest to Vladivostok more than once. Moreover, I constantly drew attention to the fact that integration should reach a new level. The events of recent years only confirmed the course towards rapprochement chosen by the leaders of the two states. The Presidents of Belarus and Russia are in constant contact, promptly resolving the most pressing issues in the economic sphere and in terms of ensuring security in the region. Obviously, they will discuss these issues at the upcoming meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State in early April.
Let us remember: On March 27th, Moscow hosted a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State headed by Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko and Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin. Following the talks, Roman Golovchenko said that Belarus and Russia had resolved the main, systemic issues of economic integration. In response to Western sanctions, the two states developed coordinated measures of strategic importance. 

Now the two countries are confidently following the path of the economic component of union building. In 2022, Belarus increased exports to Russia by 40 percent. In addition, according to operational data, this trend continues in January, February and March 2023.

Interregional co-operation contributed to the record turnover. In 2022, more than a hundred delegations of various levels of constituent entities of the Russian Federation visited Belarus. Approximately the same number of visits of Belarusian delegations to Russian regions took place. Belarus has a positive balance in trade with Russia, that is, we supply more to the Russian market than we import. This is facilitated by the stability, despite all the challenges of the Russian economy. Belarusian enterprises are actively increasing supplies.
After 2020, when building integration co-operation under the conditions of sanctions, the most important task was solved — the reorientation of traffic flows and ensuring their economic benefits (cost reduction). Belarus and Russia managed to reduce tariffs. In addition, our country works with more than 20 Russian ports at fairly favourable rates, so everything is fine in this regard.

Now it can be stated that 28 programmes adopted by the heads of Belarus and Russia have worked. Almost 75 percent of the total number of tasks has been completed, eight programmes have been fully implemented.

They failed to separate us 

Thanks to such productive work in the economic sphere, we were not covered by waves of economic crises, contrary to the intentions of certain Western politicians. Macroeconomic stability and financial stability of the economies of Belarus and Russia have been ensured.
On March 26th, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that the European Union is ready to impose new sanctions in case Russia deploys tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

But such ‘attempts’ by Washington and Brussels will no longer hold back the development of our flagships — Belarusian products are easily exported to Russia, the countries of the EAEU and the SCO.

It is important to note that the Union State became the prototype of larger integration associations, such as the EAEU, and served as the basis for the formation of political and economic models of interaction between Belarus and Russia with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
Interestingly, on March 28th, ex-adviser to the President of the United States John Bolton said that ‘the possible absorption of Belarus is a problem that we do not pay attention to’. At the same time, at the end of 2019, all the ‘think tanks’ of the United States openly stated that it was necessary to use the gas conflict between Russia and Belarus to the maximum as a window of opportunity to prevent the strengthening of the integration of the two countries within the framework of the Union State.

In fact, through the mouth of John Bolton, the West admitted that it had missed the chance to inflame the conflict between Minsk and Moscow and lost. Now all they have to say is that the integration of Belarus and Russia is an insignificant, unimportant process. In reality, the current development of the Union State means a great victory over the collective West.

Basis for other models

However, we cannot be complacent: the West is still extremely ‘interested’ in Belarus and the issues of ‘pulling’ us away from Russia. It is no coincidence that the recent statement by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that Washington is considering the possibility of appointing a special representative for Belarus soon. Most likely, the latter will be engaged in ‘gathering’ political and destructive forces from the scattered Belarusian opposition.
Recently, Russian Minister of Foreign Sergei Lavrov said for the Razvedchik magazine that now great importance is attached to the harmonisation of various integration mechanisms. In addition, it is the economy that should become the basis on which it is possible to build the architecture of peace and mutual trust in the future. This philosophy is also inherent in the idea of Vladimir Putin to create a Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP). Interest in the Russian project has already been shown by the member states of the EAEU, SCO, ASEAN, including our Chinese and Indian friends.
In the logic of the GEP, work is underway to link the development plans of the EAEU and the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. The deepening of integration within the framework of the Union State also makes a useful contribution to the common efforts. 

Thus, the Union State acts as a kind of ideological progenitor of more complex, large-scale integration projects in the world (GEP, EAEU, SCO, ASEAN), which together change the dark future destined for all of us by the collective West.

What does the Union State provide for people
• Simplified entry (without customs control, migration card and Russian passport)
• Simplified stay (up to 90 days — without registration)
• The right to choose a place of residence (without taking into account the period of temporary stay and obtaining a temporary residence permit in the territory of both countries)
• Equal access to education
• Social security rights
• Healthcare rights

A large-scale scientific event dedicated to the holiday date — the Congress of Young Scientists of Belarus and Russia — was held in Minsk
The main idea of the congress is ‘Young scientists: tasks and areas of interaction for creating a common scientific and technological space of Belarus and Russia’. It was attended by about 500 young researchers of scientific organisations, higher educational institutions of the two countries — representatives of the National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, the Russian Academy of Sciences and a number of its regional scientific centres, departments and institutes, as well as the National Academy of Sciences and dozens of leading universities and Research Institutes of Belarus.

By Aleksei Avdonin, an analyst with the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR)