Opinion: Belarus boasts unique position in terms of prospects, connecting China with EU

The CIS and EAEU member states have recently concentrated their investment on infrastructure projects simplifying trade with China, India, Asia, and the Global South – as noted by Director of the Centre for European Integration, political scientist Yuri Shevtsov

“Much attention is now being paid in the Eurasian space to the development of the Northern Sea Route. Last year, a railway connection was introduced with access to the ports of the Indian Ocean. Preparations are currently underway to build the missing Rasht-Astara railway section in Iran. These transport arteries, like many others, will continue to acquire large-scale economic importance. There can never be too much transport infrastructure. In our situation, it is a very moving indicator, as Belarus is situated close to a military conflict, which says a lot. Two years ago, Ukraine closed road communications with us, including blowing up bridges. The issue of infrastructure is highly politicised, e.g., in Poland and Lithuania. There are forces there ready to cut off everything, saying that it’s necessary to confront Russia and China. In particular, Polish former Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said that Poland must cut off the new Great Silk Road for the sake of all of Europe. However, this is a dead-end political movement,” explained the expert.

“If everything goes well, Belarus has good prospects. After Ukraine and the Baltic States cut everything off, Belarus became a ‘bottleneck’ on the route between Europe and Asia (by land). This is a unique position today in terms of its prospects and potential, as we’re connecting China – the world’s second largest economy – with the European Union. I hope this situation will ultimately give a new impetus to the development of many countries,” Yuri Shevtsov summed up.