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23 February 2021, 16:28

Opinion: Belarus' integration with Russia makes the West uncomfortable

MINSK, 23 February (BelTA) - The integration processes between Belarus and Russia irritate our European neighbors, Nikolai Shchekin, PhD of Philosophy, Head of the Sociology of Public Administration Department at the Sociology Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, said in an interview with BelTA.

“The West is trying to restore its monopoly in the world while undermining the development of nation-states. NATO has lost its relevance in every aspect of its existence. The aggressive actions of Western partners are inherently destructive and resemble the medieval inquisition albeit with nuclear weapons. Total humiliation, denouncement of the countries that attempt to pursue independent policies have become the part and parcel of the Western discourse. Yet, nations want to develop freely without diktat of the West,” Nikolai Shchekin noted. “The Munich Conference showed the impotence of the Western political elites and their reluctance to seek new formats of dialogue and reaffirmed the concept of colonial policy towards other countries. It also demonstrated the West's movement towards the global idea doctrine- a world without states, without national identities and codes, without sovereignty. Attempts are being made to destroy the historical background of nation-states. We are witnessing fast-progressing ideological schism: the democracy led by the United States on the one hand, and Russia and China on the other. Attempts are being made to consolidate the West around the United States to confront nation-states in a new Cold War. The threats made by Joseph Biden against non-Western countries reel of the hardcore USA-centrism."

Nikolai Shchekin believes that Belarus has become practically the only country in the world that managed to maintain its statehood amid the tough geopolitical confrontation between the West and the rest of humanity. Moreover, over the past 26 years Belarus has been able to restore regional interests, which is, of course, frustrates the European Union. At the same time, Belarus has never refused to cooperate with others in different formats. But we cannot afford to blindly and recklessly follow Western politics. The main thing for us is not to become an appendage of the West,” Nikolai Shchekin said.

“The meeting between Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin, the agreements on many strategic issues in economy attest to the strengthening of the Belarusian statehood and the categorical inadmissibility of the diktat and double standards. Modernization and integration are at the heart of relations between Belarus and Russia. In the light of continuous use of double standards and diminishing opportunities to preserve the unity in Europe, both Belarus and Russia are prepared to switch to a new model of interaction with Europe. In this regard, new prospects open up before the Union State, bilateral relations. But we must understand that the integration processes of Belarus and Russia irritate European neighbors. Therefore, we might expect attempts to discredit and even torpedo some Union State programs through sanctions and open pressure.”

The expert believes that Aleksandr Lukashenko's commitment to the integration with Russia, while preserving sovereignty and national interests, confirms the correctness of the chosen path towards effective social and economic development given the start of global wealth redistribution.

"The increasing global competition (often politically motivated) prompts Belarus to find the best mechanisms for cooperation with other countries, especially at the regional level,” Nikolai Shchekin concluded.

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