What is the Federal government and why it turned into a myth

12

Что такое Союзное государство и почему оно превратилось в миф

On Tuesday, June 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay an official visit to Belarus, where, according to the press service of the Kremlin, will take part in the Supreme state Council (SSC) of the Union state, and also hold talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

The previous meeting of the Supreme body of the Union state was held in June 2017 in Moscow. This time the members of the GHS (in its composition besides the leaders of Belarus and Russia also include heads of government and heads of chambers of parliaments of both countries) will gather in Minsk. Where, according to the Belarusian President, is all set to conduct important meetings.

The official agenda of the meeting includes a discussion of the order of ten questions. Among them, summing up the Russian-Belarusian cooperation in the field of economy and trade for the year 2017.

In addition, it is planned to approve the priority directions and priorities of the Union state for the next five years, as well as a programme of concerted action in foreign policy for the 2018-2019 year.

Then in the course of direct negotiations Putin and Lukashenko, as announced by the Kremlin, will exchange opinions on current bilateral and international issues.

But it is, so to say, the front side — it is on the surface. Much more interesting, what the two leaders will speak, that is, not “under the Protocol”. And they definitely have something to discuss…

A year ago — in April 2017, exactly 20 years since the Agreement was signed on the Union of Belarus and Russia. The essence of which, according to the Charter, was “consistent promotion of the voluntary Association of States — participants of the Union on the basis of free will of their peoples on the basis of the constitutions of the States members of the Union and the universally recognized principles and norms of international law”.

The next step towards Russian-Belarusian integration was the signing of the Treaty on establishing the Union state, which, as noted in the document “marks a new stage in the process of unity of the peoples of the two countries in a democratic state of law”.

In December of next year, this contract will be twenty years. But how far have we really progressed for two decades, “the process of unity of the peoples”? Is there, in General, today the Union state of Russia and Belarus?

These and other questions, “SP” addressed to member of the Council for interethnic relations under the President of Russia Bogdan Bezpalko:

— If the Federal government exists, it exists as the child brought into the world, but which is not growing and developing. And, accordingly, remains in the same condition in which it was produced.

In fact, the state as such — the Union, no. And all of the institutions that were supposed to create in the framework of the Union state, also.

No the Union Parliament, no President of the Union state, or any other leader. No single currency. There is no full integration of the economies in the economy of one country. There is no single humanitarian programme, which aims to defend common values in history, culture, religion, etc.

The only thing more-less real and perceived — is an opportunity for the citizens of Belarus to come to Russia and get a job here, as citizens of the Russian Federation. Very often Belarusian experts that served as one of the greatest achievements of the Union state, and they even released a booklet on this subject. In reality, it is the rights of Belarusian citizens, because the citizens of Russia do not go in droves to Belarus and not settled there to work. We have different economies and different because of this salary. So at the moment everything is a “state” exists in the form of rights of citizens of Belarus.

One of the signs of the existence of the Union state of the decorative bodies, in reality, have no effect on the integration, but eating a substantial amount of money. In fact, it simulated the integration of Belarus and Russia.

I can say, for example, that the organization headed by Grigory A. Rapota (Union state Secretary — ed.) consumes about eight billion rubles per year. She spends it on a very considerable salary, the publication is absolutely useless and not interesting the media in the form of extremely malochitaemyh magazines and Newspapers, of which the Russian reader may be aware of only one.

On YouTube when visiting the channel of the Union state sometimes you can find all of the videos, which for many hours emblazoned laconic inscription “No hits”, or hits the most a couple of dozen. Apparently, even the staff of this project not view their own content.

It spent a lot of money, but even with all these efforts, all this money can not master.

However, I think that from the point of view of prestige of the Russian elite will support the ephemeral Union state — simply out of fear of reputational loss.

In reality Belarus is not coming towards us. On the contrary, there begin to develop the processes that we have recently seen in Ukraine.

“SP”: — Explain what?

— Belarus in the person of its state authorities rather harshly refers to those people who fought together with the “militia” in the Donbas — they are put in jail. But Amnesty violate the Russian law Russophobes like Palicis.

We see that the Belarusian government provides assistance to the Donbass, but only the part that is under Ukraine. We see that Belarus is represented by the foreign Ministry and the top political leadership has not recognized the “sovereignty” of Russia over the Crimea, even though it the Finance Ministry appealed to the Russian arbitration court on the issue of recovery of the debtor. It all looks anecdotal: when it comes to money, the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation over the Crimea miraculously recognizes this important government Agency, the Ministry of Finance, but when it comes to political recognition, the Belarusian government prefers to keep silent or to speak of “the benefits of Ukraine’s membership in NATO.”

Not recognized until now, our “closest ally” the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. On the contrary, intensifitsiruetsa Georgia.

For comparison: Syria, which is in its seventh year at war and which is largely weakened, however, showed that he is a real ally of Russia. Syria acknowledged the sovereignty of Russia over the Crimea, and the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Despite the fact that the country is in a very difficult position and subjected to pressure from a very powerful geopolitical forces, including the threat of intervention and military strikes.

Minsk, meanwhile, is trading for every even very little action. And, as a rule, this trade is very unequal. From Russia — billions of dollars, a huge market, credit, cheap oil and gas, and from Belarus — talks about brotherhood and unity mixed with abuse, and that person with the Russian flag at the Paralympics.

Belarus received a market for their goods in Russia. A country that consists of only six fields has no outlet to the sea, has no deposits of natural resources, has received market one-seventh of the land, duty-free oil supplies to 22 million tons per year, cheap gas. Belarus produces oil in five fields in Russia and even here has its network of gas stations (total of 76 stations) in the face of the company “Belorusneft”.

Now the main struggle in the global economy is for markets. What, by the way, said Lukashenka in his message. However, relations with Russia quickly, that he values this market.

“SP”: — Yes, here the old Man is not very consistent. It encourages its producers to seek new markets, it wants to create a single food market of Russia…

— We often like to inflate scandals about the fact that allegedly, the Belarusian goods are not allowed in Russia for political reasons (although in reality, the reason is often the quality). But nobody says that she will not allow Belarus and the Russian goods in your own market. For example, processor sets, which Russian producers could supply up to 500 units in Belarus — they are there just not allowed.

How about this? Why cooperation should be unilaterally according to the principle of “oil in exchange for kisses”?

And with all this, Belarus is still free gets Russian weapons — for example, the s-300. Due to the possibility of supplying these complexes in Syria between Russia and Israel flared conflict, they cost more than $ 100 million, and we handed them over to Belarus for free. Belarusians have not paid for the supply of armored vehicles, they refused to let us airbase deployment, but continue to demand from Russia an expensive modern technology — and, free.

And there is one very important component…

“SP”: — What?

— Humanitarian. Belarus is now in an ideology is formed by soft variant of Belarusian nationalism. He was introduced by the authorities in the minds and consciousness of the population, and is not so harmless is in Slutsk girls with ripped St. George ribbon, because it didn’t fit the “Belarusian ideology”. Pocket scientists Lukashenko has started to write a lengthy article with a justification of why the ribbon is bad, and why Belarus should have its own, red-green (“abana”) ribbon.

However, these politicians don’t even know what gas to enterprises and the population in their Republic sells Gazprom and the Belarusian government, increasing the price at times by almost two times. If Belarus needs gas at Russian domestic prices, then let then give Gazprom the opportunity to sell it to Belarusian consumers, population and businesses.

In the humanitarian aspect, Belarus is not much different from the Ukraine, is that the speed and intensity of processes taking place there. Ukraine is something like a fire that burns very quickly, instantly. When people receive burns, when the collapse of floors and beams in the building, evacuation, etc.

And Belarus is more reminiscent of the decay, when it slowly decomposes with a little heat, but sooner or later collapse anyway. And we will see that the new generation in Belarus will be considered as heroes not Suvorov or Kazarsky, and the Kosciuszko and Kalinowski. With some effort on the part of Belarusian nationalists it is quite possible that the heroes will be there soon and all, Vitushka and Cuba. And Russia can not do anything to do with it: it is a separate, sovereign and independent state.

Russia, unfortunately, not working with the people of Belarus. We have nothing for the people of Belarus nor the content, nor the tools to convey to them my point of view. In reality, in Belarus there is censorship worse than in North Korea from Russia, is able to broadcast only entertainment programs, political content is carefully filtered.

As in Ukraine, we only work with the Belarusian elites. Trying to negotiate with them. Or in order to preserve the reputation of their country, or for economic reasons. But in any case we do not work with people, with the population, and yet it is the population is very friendly to Russia.

“SP”: — once all pessimistic…

— I am very sceptical in this sense in the future. Because this kind of meeting of the state Council, I think, is simply designed to demonstrate to the world that the Union state is still there, you can’t isolate Russia, no one can break those unions, which Russia is building in the former Soviet Union. But in reality, these unions did not meet the goals and objectives that they were asked. In Russia there is no understanding of who will replace Lukashenka at the head of the Republic and what will follow. So while I prefer to maintain the status quo, despite the blatant parasitism of the Belarusian elites in Russia.

“SP”: — But the integration of Russia and Belarus has another level — both countries are members of the Eurasian economic Union. Both are members of the CSTO…

— Why it was necessary to create the CSTO, if the same, the Belarusian President speaks of the impossibility of the use of troops of the Republic outside of Belarus? Why, then, Minsk signed documents on joining this Union? What kind of collective security then? Or he understands that the CSTO troops must serve only the interests of Belarus or protect him personally, Lukashenko and his family from threats from possible Maidan on the territory of Belarus?

And how do we solve the economic issues in the framework of the EAEU with the continuing large-scale smuggling through the territory of Belarus of goods from Poland and other countries? How will work our counter-sanctions, if they violate our closest ally?

Or what to do with the fact that, for example, on the territory of Belarus took the plate with the monument to Pushkin the Day of Russia a few years ago? And now a monument to Tadeusz Kosciuszko.

How can we build a common state together with the elites and with a liberal policy?

Either we refer to the ordinary Belarusians, or should be demarcated. And allow Belarus to engage in a policy the way it sees fit, but to recognize that no ally, a partner she is not. But in this case we absolutely are not obliged to maintain its economy. Provide her market. To supply gas at discounted prices. To supply duty-free oil, where it is processed and sold in the EU, violating the agreement on the supply of petroleum products in Russia and refusing to transit through Russian ports.

“SP”: — do Not want our people to separate and become hostages in this situation… But how?

— The fact that it will happen anyway — sooner or later. But if it happens later, then all these years — until the moment when it finally happens — Belarus will suck our economic privileges, preferences, cheap gas, oil, practically on domestic prices or free, would sell their goods here in the us but not in EU… etc.

It is huge funds which could be spent on the development of its own science, education, health. On the development of regions, especially remote from the center. For the construction of transport and other infrastructure. The army, in the solution of demographic problems. To mitigate the same pension reform or real, not formal allies, finally.

If they are not in the face of their elites our allies, this does not mean that we necessarily and immediately become hostile to each other countries. We have normal relations with Uzbekistan or Azerbaijan, although they are not included in any integration unions — well, except for CIS, maybe on the territory of the former Soviet Union. Just Belarusian elite will peel off, finally, from the neck of the Russian taxpayers and with grants of the Russian state.

We will build a relationship with them on a pragmatic basis. If you want to buy gas, please buy it at world prices. The oil has many times defiantly bought it in Venezuela, Azerbaijan. It all ended in failure. Want to read or Kosciuszko Kalinowski heroes — Yes, please, but privileges and preferences don’t count, and their products sell in the EU.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here