Union State

The Russian - Belarusian Union ( officially: Union State Russia and Belarus / Саюзная дзяржава Расіі і Беларусі [ СДРБ ] / Sajuznaja dzjarschava Rasii i Belarusi [ SDRB ] / Союзное государство России и Беларуси [ СГРБ ] / Soyuznoye Gosudarstvo Rossii i Belarusi [ SGRB ] ) is one to date, very limited actualized state union of Russia and Belarus, which is based on a defense community, an economic community and to common political consultations.

Contrasts and similarities

The Union was established together with Boris Yeltsin launched by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Meanwhile, the integration between the two countries has lost due to alternating intense interest on both sides of momentum. During Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin has only limited interest in increased cooperation with the isolated Lukashenka has asserted itself on the Belarusian side the realization that the land in a close union with Russia would be a junior partner.

The economic and geopolitical characteristics argue against a parity Union peer countries; in relation to the "big brother" Russia is Belarus as follows:

• Surface: Belarus - Russia 1:85 (Russia gave Belarus later the port as the 90th Federation subject to )
• Population: Belarus - Russia 1:14 (moreover, about 10 % of the population of Belarus ethnic Russians )
• GDP ( total): Belarus - Russia 1:10 ( the GDP per capita, however, are about the same, Belarus is among the CIS countries with the highest GDP per capita)

On the Economic Community of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are associated in the form of the Eurasian Economic Community loose, also are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia together with Russia and Belarus, members of the CSTO defense alliance.

In particular, the conflicts over gas prices and oil transit helped to bring the Russian-Belarusian Union's efforts to a halt until further notice.

History

The relatively small landlocked country Belarus ( about twice as large as the German Democratic Republic and Bavaria and Baden- Württemberg together, but with a population of only 10 million ), although borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia since 2004 with the European Union (EU ) has but two-thirds of its borders with the Russian Federation and Ukraine together. Since Belarus is also historically and commercially oriented to the east, began soon after independence in 1991, some of its politicians, for ways to integration with Russia and other successor states of the USSR to search.

To integrate Belarus - Russia several attempts have been made since the collapse of the Soviet Union, first together by some CIS countries, for which the initiative part of Russia, partly from Belarus and Kazakhstan went out, but partly also of the new states of the Caucasus and the Turkic peoples ( Kyrgyzstan and others). Thus arose within the CIS first the Integrated Community States (GIS). Ukraine is the second largest country in Eastern Europe held in this matter, apart from isolated exceptions, rather reserved.

Lukashenka and Yeltsin

The first Belarusian leader Stanislav Schuschkewitsch (1991-1994) was also open to the west. But his successor Alexander Lukashenko (since 1994) only deepened the contacts to the east. He admits to have voted at that time the only deputy in the Byelorussian Soviet against the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Immediately after his election as President, he led state symbols, which are clearly reminiscent of the Soviet era, and some CIS countries Belarus became a member of the Organization of the Collective Security Treaty.

After complete political shift away from Western and Central Europe Lukashenka stopped the tarnished by his predecessor, privatizations, whose analogue in Russia had led to the after-effects to date problems with the oligarchs, and since then seeks a new union with Russia and other Eastern European countries to. Within the GIS States connection has been agreed between Minsk and Moscow, the first Sovereign as a community Republics ( GSR) designated. To this end, he signed with Boris Yeltsin, between 1995 and 1999 several union contracts such as those for the Russian - Belarusian Union. From their only defense and temporarily the customs union has been implemented. From 2000 to 2011, the Russian politician Pavel Borodin served as General or Secretary of State of the Union.

Lukashenka and Putin

With Appointed by Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin initially cooled the air to Russia, so that Belarus was now isolated in the east. After 2001, President Lukashenka but soon renewed his foreign political contacts with Russia. He also gave authoritarian regimes such as North Korea, Libya and Sudan increased attention in his politics. This approach was again strongly supported by Putin since the presidential elections in Ukraine in 2004.

After further initiatives for a political union, now mainly between the " two Russian states ," Belarus and Russia took in the fall of 2005, once again efforts to integrate some ex - Soviet republics and constitutional acts. In addition to the existing interstate Parliamentary Assembly and a committee of representatives of both governments (albeit small ) was agreed transnational budget. Also a customs agreement, according to which Russian officials are allowed to control at the Belarusian- Polish border, is already in force. In addition, the Russian and Belarusian Air Force has formed a joint supreme command, in fact subordinate to the Belarusian air defense since the Russian Air Force.

A referendum on the common Constitution Act would, according to the Russian State Secretary Pavel Borodin already can come about in 2006. President Lukashenka was initially confident, although Basic was still open (competences of the supranational Union Council, extent of equality as equal -sized states, etc.). The proposal of Vladimir Putin to take Belarus as a 90th province in Russia (Russia at that time had 89 regions, according to various regional reforms, there are now 83) had 2002 Lukashenka rejected. In a speech picked in the Belarusian television Lukashenka had then complained that his country was in a close union with Russia would be a junior partner. What was unusual in this speech that Lukashenka had held in Belarusian, Russian else while he also preferably used at official occasions.

These violent dissonances were temporarily settled, but now there are new frictions with the agreement on a common currency. This should enter into force on 1 January 2006, but could not agree on is printed in what country the ruble.

Current Development

After repeated quarrels between Belarus and Russia in the years 2006/ 07, which revolved around the themes rubles introduction, gas prices and oil transit, the Russian- Belarusian integration of many observers was considered dead. After the Russian parliamentary elections in December 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to travel in the same month for consultations on the Union to Minsk. The press speculated about a possible revival of the project.

In his capacity as Chairman of the Union State Council Lukashenko convened in May 2008, Putin, now Prime Minister of Russia, Chairman of the Union Council of Ministers. Russia's new President Dmitry Medvedev announced in June during his first official visit to Belarus a revival of the integration efforts on.

On 7 May 2009 Belarus has acceded to the EU summit in Prague together with five other CIS members of the Eastern Partnership. Russia has appealed against the alliance with the European Union protest. For anger in Moscow also ensured that Belarus has not yet followed him in the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In June 2009 there was a further worsening of the crisis. After Russia imports of Belarusian dairy products stopped on the grounds that these do not correspond to the latest Russian standards, Belarus boycotted a summit of the Organization of the Collective Security Treaty and declared all decisions made at the meeting were invalid. As a result, Belarus led for the first time after thirteen years back temporarily customs controls at the Belarusian- Russian border one.

Meanwhile, in 2011, the Western approach under Lukashenka is considered a failure. At their summit, the to 30 September 2011 took place from 29 in Warsaw, the Eastern Partnership has adopted a "package for the democratization and modernization of Belarus ". If the regime of Lukashenka leaves free political prisoners and screened advantage of free elections, it may have recourse to loans in the amount of up to nine billion euros. Instead of getting closer to the EU, Lukashenka, however, relies on the help of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. With Russia and Kazakhstan, which always receptive to the Russia-Belarus Union, the Treaty establishing a customs union is ready for signature. From January 2012 applies between the partner countries again a preferential price for gas.

Other States

However, accessions of other countries did not get beyond the stage of announcements and speculation.