Alexei Balashov. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Wide-scale integration in the modern world is impossible if all relations and development rely on one center. Economy is a locomotive of any union in the global capitalistic world. Ties are built not from each subject to one center, but between all members of a union. The scheme should be like a web, not like the sun where all beams gather in the center.
The Commonwealth of Independent States is not thought to be a very successful example of integration. The CIS countries were united only by the past and belonging to the “Russian orbit” of geopolitical interests. The USSR left food industrial-economic ties between Soviet republics, but many of them were ruined by ethnic and territorial conflicts.
None of former Soviet republics (except for the Baltic States) didn’t want and couldn’t fasten a quarrel upon Moscow forever. At that moment each former Soviet republic wanted to maintain relations with the former metropolis. At the same time, political and economic hopes of the new independent states were connected not with Russia. Some of them watched at Europe, others – beyond the ocean; the third found strong allies, blood ties with which appeared to be more important than a common history with Russia. The only exception was Belarus and Kazakhstan. And it is not an accident that Russia decided to integrate with these countries.
Russia has splendid relations with Armenia and similar warm relations with Azerbaijan. However, Russia is not able to encourage normalization of relations between two conflicting sides and revive old economic and cultural ties either in the CIS or any other format.
The European Union began to fall apart when the tendencies of changing from “a web” to “the sun” appeared. For example, the Czech Republic is happy to be in the euro area with Germany, but it is not ready to be there with Greece, paying its debts and putting its own economy at risk.
The Customs Union established by Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan tries to consider mistakes of previous integration entities. The organization has good chances for positive development in the future, given presence of only three candidates which are interested in cooperation with every member.
The recent meeting in Astana between heads of the governments of Kazakhstan Serik Ahmedob and of Belaruz Mikhail Myasnikovich confirms is. Many aspects of bilateral cooperation were touched at the meeting: large projects in the sphere of chemical industry, machinery, and agriculture.
Russia cooperates with Belarus in these spheres too. For example, Belaruskalium is one of the major producers of kalium fertilizers in the CIS, while Belarus meat and milk products are present at the Russian market for a long time.
However, trade operations between Belarus and Kazakhstan are conducted through the territory of Russia. Therefore, all three countries of the Union participate intensively in the trade and business flow.
Moscow should contribute to cooperation and development of business-contacts between Minsk and Astana by various means. At the moment the fact of Russian transit brakes development of these relations. When the Customs Union began its operation transits through Russia stopped being international and began to suffer taxes which led to increase of prices.
