NUCLEAR POWER IN BELARUS AND WORLDWIDE
MINSK, 24 March (BelTA) – Through joint efforts the Union State of Belarus and Russia counteracts destructive activity of the West, BelTA learned from Piotr Petrovsky, a political analyst, a researcher with the Philosophy Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, an expert of the center for studying and promoting continental integration Northern Eurasia.
Piotr Petrovsky said: “The situation Belarus and Russia are in right now can be compared to the situation that existed in the age of crusaders. The Union State of Belarus and Russia is forced to counteract the destructive activity of new crusaders, who have declared a war of sanctions and, generally speaking, existential confrontation upon both Belarus and Russia. In some areas (import substitution, technological sovereignty) Belarus is a cluster of strategic importance for carrying out the special military operation. It is primarily an industrial cluster in machine building. Medical tourniquets are also made in the Republic of Belarus and exported.”
The second aspect is an important geostrategic task that the Belarusian-Russian joint military force is supposed to accomplish: ensure the deterrence of the massive onslaught of militarization in the Baltic states and Poland, the analyst noted.
Piotr Petrovsky went on saying: “This onslaught is dangerous not only for [Russia's] Kaliningrad Oblast but also for the Republic of Belarus and the direction of strategic importance for Russia: Belarus' eastern border – 450km away from Moscow. In other words, the Belarusian direction, the so-called Belarusian balcony is exceedingly important. This is why the tasks Russia's special military operation is supposed to accomplish have to be accomplished. Because otherwise we will lose geostrategic initiative in the southern direction, primarily in the western direction. I'd like to remind you that the Polish army has been instructed to increase its contingent up to 300,000, create two footholds in the vicinity of Biala Podlaska and Suwalki not far from the border with Belarus and Russia. If money is invested in it, if militarization happens, if combat centers of other NATO countries are created in neighboring territories, then it is understandable that some negative scenarios are being prepared here. As one of them we see attempts to close the border between Poland and the Union State. I think there are risks, including the closure of the border with the Baltic states. Including a land blockade of Kaliningrad Oblast. And such risks are abundant.”
Piotr Petrovsky added: “However, even in this situation results of the year 2022 represent quite a powerful growth of trade turnover between our countries. And quality growth at that. They also include harmonization of [trade] balance between Belarus and Russia. Essentially we have resolved the problem of a deficit in Belarus-Russia trade. There is practically no trade deficit now. It means that trade and economic cooperation is in balance. The second consideration: we have completely switched to prices and mutual transactions in Russian rubles in such an important field as energy resources. This is why essentially the problem of using currencies of unfriendly countries does not exist for us. I cannot but be glad about it. And most importantly, import substitution. As much as RUB105 million has been allocated for Belarusian R&D centers, enterprises, and design bureaus to rather deeply get involved in import substitution programs and reduce dependence, primarily dependence of the Russian Federation, on shipments from unfriendly countries.”
