It is the sea serpent of Russian-Belarusian relations: the question of ” the integration “ between the two countries under a twenty-year-old agreement that has largely gone unheeded. After years of blockages, Minsk and Moscow have for the first time made a breakthrough – a “Breakthrough”, in the words of Belarusian Alexander Lukashenko, visiting the Russian capital on Thursday, September 9, in such a weak position that he was forced to make concessions that he had always refused.
At a press conference in the Kremlin, the two leaders announced the upcoming signing of a package of “Twenty-eight programs” destined for “Strengthen the integration process”. These texts aim to bring the tax and customs laws of the two countries closer together, and ultimately to create a unified energy market and common financial regulation. According to Mr. Putin, it is also about“Achieve a common industrial and agricultural policy”.
No details were given on the content of these texts which must be the subject of a formal signature by the end of the year. The two leaders also clarified that it was not yet a question of creating a common currency or moving forward on the more sensitive issue of political integration.
Mr Putin did indeed mention the establishment of a common Parliament, “A noble goal”, but considered a priority to establish as a first step “Economic foundations”. “We are looking towards the European Union, which is heading towards collapse, and we are avoiding repeating the same mistakes”, added Lukashenko.
“No one is swallowed”
This result is an event, as the theme of integration arouses fantasies in the two capitals of “The state of union”, the very ambitious term adopted in 1999 when the “union treaty” was signed. Conceived at a time when Mr. Lukashenko could claim to play the leading roles against the then Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, this document was accompanied by the creation of a certain number of institutions: parliamentary assembly, executive committee, council ministers… But these remained in the state of empty shells, fulfilling an essentially symbolic function.
The Russian side has pushed in recent years for the implementation of the various texts, but Alexander Lukashenko has not ceased to tackle, playing in particular on his successive rapprochements with Europe. It was finally the deplorable financial situation of his country and the growing isolation of his regime, following the massive protest movement that followed the disputed presidential election of August 9, 2020, that accelerated things.
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