Strategic relations between Belarus and Russia cannot be swung by market fluctuations, Russian MFA says

Strategic relations between Belarus and Russia cannot be swung by market fluctuations, Nikolai Udovichenko, director of the second department for CIS states of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at the X Minsk forum on November 23. He said, Belarus and Russia had reached a high level of integration. He pointed out the “consistent and transparent way of cooperation between our countries”. “Some may say that the progress of integration of Belarus and Russia is rather slow. But we are talking about a comparatively short historical period during which our countries chose the way of integration. This is why we have to be innovators in this area in the post-Soviet space. There are no ready solutions. The existing international experience, including that of the European Union, cannot be bluntly used in our environment,” stressed Nikolai Udovichenko. In 2007 the bilateral cooperation of Belarus and Russia steered towards using universal market-based mechanisms the entire international community uses at present, remarked Nikolai Udovichenko. In his opinion, the approach encompasses not only market relations in the energy sphere but other areas as well. The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry believes, in the end it will allow strengthening the economic foundation of the bilateral relations and will give an additional boost to efforts in other cooperation areas. He also said, Russia pushes for normal international relations with Belarus, for implementing all agreements with the European Union. Not sanctions and isolation, but productive cooperation, a mutually respecting and equivocal dialogue is the best way, stressed Nikolai Udovichenko. He said, Russia builds long-term strategically important and reliable relations with Belarus.