Opinions & Interviews

EAEU named more advanced integration association than SCO, BRICS

ST PETERSBURG, 25 December (BelTA) – The level of cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is much higher than, for example, in the SCO or BRICS, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko told the media in St Petersburg on 25 December. He added that the partners need to work on further development of the association, BelTA has learned.

“We have analyzed all the associations: SCO, BRICS and others. We [EAEU] are the most advanced. Neither the SCO nor the BRICS have such close ties, neither of them speak the same language as we all do. Most importantly, they do not have this common economic space. We have doubled trade in the EAEU over the past ten years. We produce a huge amount of goods and services within the union. What else do we need? We need to move further in this direction,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

Aleksandr Lukashenko added that the SCO and BRICS, although equally important, are mainly political organizations: “They do not have what we have – I mean material things. Although we have plenty of flaws. I am talking about our economic organization. Not the CSTO, not the CIS. Although the CIS is a colossal reserve of our economic union. We should just move further in this direction.”

“This military operation in Ukraine has taught us a lot and pushes us to move forward. But we have frozen up. We have to move further. We have a solid base. No other organization has such a base,” he stressed.

The head of state cited a concrete example of the SCO, which is a powerful organization and a good platform for bilateral negotiations. Belarus seeks to become a full member of the organization. Nevertheless, the policies of many major SCO members are different. “India and China have different policies. India is lured to the so-called NATO of the Pacific. They have one policy. China has another one. Russia has a third. There is more unity here [in the EAEU], we have one base. We need to work further in this respect. We will be a center of attraction then,” the Belarusian leader said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also emphasized the EAEU's cooperation with Iran. A free trade agreement was signed with this country on the sidelines of the summit in St. Petersburg. “This is a powerful country with a developed trade, production base. They have developed a free trade zone. We need to be such a zone of attraction. Most importantly, we must not disappoint those who come to us, never mind Cuba [an observer country in the EAEU],” the president added.

print version

make home page

add to bookmarks