Andrei Yahorau: The idea of the Eurasian Union is not filled with contents

The idea of the creation of the Eurasian Union is based not on usual pragmatic benefits of the countries-participants, but rather on the desire of Russia to occupy a superpower role. The head of the European Transformation Center Andrei Yahorau said...

The idea of the creation of the Eurasian Union is based not on usual pragmatic benefits of the countries-participants, but rather on the desire of Russia to occupy a superpower role. The head of the European Transformation Center Andrei Yahorau said about it to the EuroBelarus Information Service.

He has come to such conclusions after he took part in the international expert conference "Public diplomacy and Eurasian approach: supporters and skeptics", which took place on 1-3 August in Nizhny Novgorod. It was organized by the Fund to support public diplomacy named after Gorchakov - the Russian think-tank at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of structures, which provides the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with conceptual ideas in the field of foreign politics.

“The conference was dedicated to the problems and prospects of the formation of the Eurasian Union and Eurasian space - the initiative, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and supported by the heads of Kazakhstan and Belarus", - Andrei Yahorau reminds. - Now the Eurasian Union is actually forming a new concept of Russia’s foreign policy. That is why it is very essential and very important for Belarus - what will happen now with this union, in what way it will be formed, and what will be the policy of Russia regarding its nearest neighbors, including our country.”

Supporters of the Eurasian Union want to strengthen Russia’s influence

The conference was attended by representatives of academic and non-academic establishments of Russia, as well as experts from the post-Soviet space, including from Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and other countries.

"They discussed different aspects of the initiative of the Eurasian Union, which now develops as an external concept of the policy of the Russian Federation. Also - political, geopolitical, economic, cultural, and social aspects of this, so to say, union. They also mentioned religious-ethnic problems, which can arise during this initiative. Basically, among participants, there were supporters of the idea of the Eurasian Union, and thus - supporters of the expansion of Russia’s policy on the post-Soviet territory and its strengthening, returning Russia the status of the world leader", - Andrei Yahorau has noticed.

As for supporters of a more European direction, among whom there was our expert, - they occupied rather a skeptical position concerning this union. "A considerable public discussion did not take place, but on the basis of this conference, it is possible to understand what the idea of the Eurasian Union is and how it influences the current policy of Russia towards Belarus", - the head of the European Transformation Center says.

The idea with no contents

"The idea of the Eurasian Union is not filled with contents. It was also noticed by participants of the conference -there is no Russian idea that could unite all countries of this space. Even from a pragmatic point of view of economy, as it seems to me, it is impossible to see any considerable advantages for these countries if they decide to be integrated into the Eurasian Union. Also, there are no bases in the sense of a common identity, common citizenship in the long term, etc." - the expert analyzes.

He has marked that supporters of the Eurasian Union did not say anything about the benefits that Moscow will have thanks to this idea.

"Sometimes, participants of the conference spoke about some preferences that the members of the Eurasian Union could receive from the policy of such a union – e.g. the common customs area, a system of wide integration. But they do not say what Russia will receive thanks to that! And it bothers much. After all, if we do not discuss real pragmatic benefits of the member states, then we will have to admit that the basic engine of this integration is not normal relations between independent states, but rather ideological grounds and Russia’s attempt - at the expense of its neighbors - to satisfy the ambitions of a state that rises ostensibly from its knees and tries to return its regional and world leadership", - says the analyst.

Far from the present

"I would not like to see the Eurasian Union turning into a new Russian Empire or new Soviet Union. But it is a possible and real scenario for such a union if it does not change its purely ideological bases for the grounds of mutual relations between independent states", - he has added.

There are also some other disturbing moments in the rhetoric of supporters of the formation of the Eurasian Union.

"Another thing in the discourse of supporters of the Eurasian Union during the conference bothers much - they are very nostalgic of the Soviet past and the Russian Empire. And they do not hide this nostalgia! They do want to return to some forms of coexistence in the common space - like the Soviet one. One more very disturbing thing is the attitude of Russian participants towards the idea of the Eurasian Union, which is considered by them as an attempt to protect the neighboring states from the western aggression or western exploitation. Russia sees itself as a certain defender of these territories. I think that such a type of thinking is not very relevant in the present", - Andrei Yahorau summed up.