The sanctions pressure of the US and the EU is becoming an additional incentive for the development of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the State Duma told Izvestia following the visit of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to Minsk… Despite the difficulties in negotiations on raw materials and tax issues, both countries are ready for mutual concessions, experts say. However, political scientists do not exclude that the signing of roadmaps for integration may become a pretext for introducing new economic restrictions by Western countries. During negotiations with the President and Prime Minister of Belarus, Mikhail Mishustin called for increasing trade and restoring transport links…
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Intersection of interests
On the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Community of Russia and Belarus, which formed the basis of the Union State, Mikhail Mishustin flew to Minsk, where head of state Alexander Lukashenko was waiting for him. As the former head of the Federal Tax Service, the Russian the prime minister proposed to immediately discuss the tax integration of the two countries, which still causes a lot of controversy.
– It should be profitable, and in no case should it be some kind of absorption., – he said in the Belarusian Palace of Independence, noting the need to strengthen bilateral relations.
Last year, he said, cooperation between countries was hampered by a pandemic, due to which significantly trade turnover fell – now it is $ 29.5 billion… However, the trend towards negative dynamics will be reversed, Mikhail Mishustin believes.
– The coronavirus is moving away, although our doctors warn about the risks that may be contained in different variations of the strain. But together we will cope, – the Russian prime minister considers.
For the economy to recover faster, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko proposed to remove all barriers to travel across the border for businessmen… Mikhail Mishustin, in turn, said that in the near future “Lastochki” will again travel to Minsk not only from Moscow, but also from Sochi. Moreover, the restoration of the volume of air traffic is expected.
The Russian-Belarusian dialogue will continue at the presidential level, Alexander Lukashenko assured, announcing his upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin on April 22. On the eve of Mikhail Mishustin’s visit to Minsk, the head of the republic and the president of Russia held a telephone conversation, during which they expressed a mutual disposition to further all-round strengthening of Russian-Belarusian allied relations.
Of the 28 roadmaps for the integration of the Union State, 21 are already ready for signing, the Ambassador of Belarus said in March in the Russian Federation Vladimir Semashko. The parties must agree on the remaining topics by the end of April.… So far, Moscow and Minsk have failed to agree on issues in the tax sphere, customs, agricultural and industrial policies, as well as on prices for natural gas and the creation of a single market for oil and oil products.
– Integration interactions in the Union State, which we have already discussed in detail today, including with President of Belarus Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko, is a very important issue. We are absolutely confident that we will be able to build it up absolutely independently and, as we said today, use the possibilities of this interaction, integration for both sides in order to improve the efficiency of our economies, the Russian prime minister said.
“We have already signed a roadmap for the electric power industry, and for oil and oil products it is ready for signing. The roadmap for the gas sector is being finalized now, “Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on Friday.…
Mikhail Mishustin also recalled the implementation a joint project for the export of Belarusian oil products through Russian ports, the agreement on which was signed in February.
– Today this project shows how quickly we can solve various issues, including logistics… And during my visit, we are also going to sign an agreement with you on airworthiness between the aviation authorities of Russia and Belarus, – said Mikhail Mishustin, addressing Roman Golovchenko. – It will simplify the procedure for approval and validation of Russian civil aviation equipment supplied to Belarus.
The Minister of Finance of Belarus Yuri Seliverstov, meanwhile, said that the republic expects to receive the second tranche of the Russian loan in the amount of $ 500 million by the end of June.… At the same time, he did not answer the question regarding negotiations on the possibility of new borrowings from the Russian Federation.
An agreement on the provision of a Russian loan to Belarus in an amount equivalent to $ 1 billion was signed on December 21, 2020. The first tranche of the loan in the amount of $ 500 million was received by the Ministry of Finance on December 30.
Looking back at the past
Back in 1999, it was assumed that the Union State would become a special integration association that would balance between the statuses of an international organization and a state. Common citizenship, the Constitution, currency and many other things were supposed to unite Russia and Belarus. However, more than 20 years later, the set goals have largely remained on paper.
The same decisions that are made go through a long period of approval… For example, Moscow and Minsk agreed to cancel roaming back in 2017, but only in 2019 did the parties sign the corresponding roadmap. As a result, citizens of both countries will be able to call a friend without overpayments, approximately only from 2022.
but the constant attempts of the United States and the European Union to dictate conditions to Moscow and Minsk with the help of economic pressure are pushing the two countries towards cooperation and further integration, Leonid Kalashnikov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, told Izvestia… Russian and Belarusian politicians understand that closer cooperation makes it possible to more effectively defend their national interests in the international arena.
– It is not very important in which particular month all roadmaps will be agreed.… After the latest US sanctions (against the Russian national debt – Izvestia), no one has any doubts that cooperation with Washington does not promise anything good either to us or to Belarus. therefore we need to sign the relevant integration documents, – said the politician.
Integration continues, but there are a number of issues, especially in the raw materials sector and in tax policy, on which it is difficult for countries to agree, says political analyst Alexei Dzermant.
– Most of the roadmaps are already in place, which is encouraging. We will see the results in the near future. Intense political contacts prove that countries have a mutual interest, – the expert told Izvestia.
The signing of documents on integration within the framework of the Union State, in his opinion, may become a pretext for new sanctions by Western countries against Russia and Belarus. However, according to Sergey Musienko, head of the EcooM analytical center, the possible introduction of restrictions is unlikely to affect the situation, because Moscow and Minsk have already managed to adapt to constant foreign policy pressure.