Kurginyan: Russia and Belarus need to survive in this terrible world

04.10.2021, Moscow.

The alternative to the union of Russia and Belarus is defeat for both countries, said philosopher, political scientist and the leader of the Essence of Time movement Sergey Kurginyan on September 29 on the air of the Obyektively program on the ONT channel of Belarus.

Answering a question about the mission of the union between Belarus and Russia, Kurginyan said, “Its main mission is to survive in this terrible world.”

According to Kurginyan, Lukashenko has built a “beautiful Belarus,” a social state. Those who oppose the president of Belarus do not understand what they would lose.

“But I have always said that in this sense [of building a union state] Lukashenko, first of all, did a good job, and secondly, I understand him very well. Internally, as a person who is in opposition in Russia, I understand very well that he does not want to allow the expansion of certain peculiar liberal forces from Russia, including economic ones, into the beautiful Belarus that he built. I understand this very well!” Kurginyan added.

He indicated, “…practice demonstrates that Belarus will not survive alone, and Russia will not survive alone. The world that is attacking them is very fierce and evil. This is why, with all the huge problems standing in the way of a union, Belarus and Russia will have to do this on some reasonable grounds. The alternative is defeat.”

According to Kurginyan, if Russia and Belarus fail to unite, it will be Belarus that will be “sacrificed” first. “This is why the point here is to do it softly, taking into account the strengths of all the Belarusian elites and the Belarusian people as a whole.”

According to the leader of Essence of Time, Russia’s arrogance can prevent the union of Belarus and Russia. Kurginyan reminded that one Russian politician said that Lukashenko’s place in the union state is the Ministry of Agriculture.

This is ridiculous, this is ridiculous! There are no stakes on Russia’s side that would be too high for building a strong state union between Russia and Belarus. This is Russia’s destiny, and this is Belarus’ destiny!” the analyst stressed.

On September 12, the Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said, that both peoples must benefit from the integration of Russia and Belarus. To this end, equal rights for businesses in the two countries and a free flow of goods must be ensured. Also, customs procedures should be unified.

On September 14, the defense minister of Lithuania said that Belarus coordinated “a hybrid war” with Russia involving illegal migrants at the borders of the Baltic States and Poland.

On September 22, Russian vice-Prime Minister Aleksey Overchuk said that Russia and Belarus do not yet plan to introduce a common currency. Currently, according to Overchuk, it is more important for the countries to focus on the development of a common payment zone within the Eurasian Economic Union. On September 23, a strategy of media development and a reform of the media to meet the modern tasks were proposed in the Union State.

Background

The Treaty on the Union State between Russia and Belarus was signed on April 2, 1997. The leader of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko actively promoted the deal. The parties planned to unify the legal basis, power structures, and the currency and market.

The integration process began to slow down because of political and economic disagreements. In particular, the President of Belarus has repeatedly claimed the risk of losing state sovereignty, allegedly under pressure from Russia. He also accuses Moscow of unwillingness to abolish customs duties.

Another important topic in the bilateral relations between Russia and Belarus is the sale of Russian oil and gas at preferential prices. At the same time, the stability of the political system of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko largely depends on the subsidies, which are put on the price of Russian hydrocarbons.

In recent years, Lukashenko’s political rhetoric has also sharpened, and he is ready to talk about the Great Patriotic War as a “foreing” war for Belarus. On the one hand, the Belarusian leader declares brotherly relations with Moscow and unity of the people, but on the other hand, the polemics about the Union Treaty and oil and gas prices become more and more heated.

Both vectors of behavior are aimed at prolonging Lukashenko’s own power, including through the maintenance of economic stability at the expense of Russian discounts.

Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency

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