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Lukashenko: EAEU gets increasingly politicized

MINSK, 1 March (BelTA) – The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is getting increasingly influenced by politics, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with community leaders, experts, Belarusian and foreign media on 1 March, BelTA has learned.

“To be honest, I do not pin great hopes on the Eurasian Economic Union. Too many suspicions and disagreements. Apart from that, the economic union is getting increasingly politicized, which is totally unacceptable,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

The president drew attention to the great number of exemptions in trade and to the failure to honor the commitments within the framework of the EAEU. “Even if we put forward a sensible proposal to resolve one or another issue, we end up rendering a decision meaningless. Each country tries to make the free movement of goods, capital and people impossible and to bypass it, although this is the nuts and bolts of this union. Therefore, issues arise,” he noted.

According to the head of state, there are disagreements between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan that have not been resolved to this very day. Belarus and Russia do not agree on many things, either. Many groups of merchandise were exempt from trade regulations, in particular, oil and gas – decisions will be made by 2025. “To much national ego – that is what Russian politicians say criticizing America. The same thing here,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

Speaking about Belarus’ forthcoming presidency in the EAEU, the president noted that he does not expect any breakthrough, because all decisions are taken by consensus there. Therefore, a position of one state, be it even the biggest one, can hardly make a difference, if at least one state votes against. The existing trend is not encouraging, the Belarusian president added.

Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that we are the architects of our own fortune.  “If our allies do well, we will do even better. However, we should rely only on ourselves. We do not have huge resources, we are not America, China and even Russia – they have more opportunities. Nevertheless, we should be self-reliant. If something good comes out of cooperation with our allies, it will be just the icing on the cake,” he said.

The head of state added that it does not pertain to Russia, because Belarus has friendly and close relations with this country, including in trade, economy and other sectors. A number of the EAEU member states tilt too much toward other key players and lean toward other countries and unions. This has not emerged today. Some states had been cultivating these relations before the establishment of the EAEU. “There are many problems, therefore you should understand that we will strictly abide by the agreements and treaties and will try to promote a deeper integration as much as we can, not only because we undertook certain commitments, but also because we can benefit from it,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

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