The craving doesn't subside

Economic pragmatism will bring Moscow and Minsk closer together

Today in Minsk, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will take part in celebrations marking the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Belarus . Lavrov’s visit program includes meetings with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov. Mr. Lavrov will be presented with a Certificate of Honor from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, and Mr. Martynov will receive from his colleague the badge of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “For his contribution to international cooperation.” The head of Russian diplomacy is also going to give a lecture to teachers and students of the Belarusian State University.

On the eve of the visit, representatives of the Russian side spoke about the need for closer integration. “We stand for accelerating union construction, the dynamics of which have been experiencing some slowdown in recent years,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin. Russian Ambassador to Minsk Alexander Surikov, in an interview with the Belarusian news agency BelTA, said: “Polls show that the attraction of Belarusians to Russians and Russians to Belarusians does not weaken. There are, of course, some outbursts of discontent and resentment, but this is connected either with an increase in gas prices or with something else. Then all this fits into a reasonable framework. Normal friction, like in any family.”

The rise in prices of Russian energy resources for Belarus since the beginning of the year and the reduction in economic support from Moscow, Belarusian analysts believe, has become the beginning of a new stage in bilateral relations. This is exactly what will be the subject of discussion during Sergei Lavrov’s visit. “The negotiations will be kept in line with the new policy of economic pragmatism that Russia is pursuing. One can hardly expect loud statements following the visit; rather, we are talking about a delicate conversation on complex topics,” Belarusian political scientist Alexander Klaskovsky told Vremya Novostei. The expert recalled that Moscow is interested in access of Russian capital to the privatization of Belarusian enterprises.

Analysts agree that recent months have shown especially clearly how strong Belarus’ dependence on Russia is. Minsk has begun an active search for new partners with rich hydrocarbon resources. Tomorrow Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will arrive in Minsk on a working visit. Nevertheless, Belarusian officials have repeatedly admitted in recent months that Russian oil remains much cheaper for Belarus. “The search for partners in Iran and Venezuela does not promise big dividends. The events of recent months show that the time of proletarian internationalism has passed,” Klaskovsky noted. As Belarusian sociologist Oleg Manaev noted to Vremya Novostei, “the Belarusian side’s room for maneuver is very narrow, both in the western direction and in cooperation with Arab and Latin American countries. This is becoming clear to everyone, including Minsk.”

Olga TOMASHEVSKAYA, Minsk