On Belarusian TV they are wondering: How to be “both yours and ours” - “cut coupons” with both the EU and Russia
Poland, which has recently proposed intensifying relations with Belarus, secretly pursues the goal of weakening the alliance between Minsk and Moscow. Political scientist Vadim Elfimov stated this on the Belarusian TV channel ONT, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Every state has priorities. And our priority is the Eurasian Union with Russia. By the way, that’s why we became stronger, and that’s why they started talking to us,” the expert noted.
“We need to gain a foothold in the status quo that exists today: unshakable borders, and, based on this main postulate, build our relationships (with Warsaw - approx. ed.).
As soon as the Poles offer us to differentiate ourselves from Russia, they thereby confront us with a forced choice: who are you with, either the Poles or the Russians. So, we don’t need to be confronted with this question either; we ourselves choose who we are with. And we build our relationships in such a way that we are ready with both those and others (cooperate - approx. ed.). And we have the right to choose our own policy; we don’t set the condition for the Poles: “Are you with the Germans, or are you with the Americans?” – noted the expert.
However, public figure Sergei Vozniak, who was present in the studio, added that Russia, allegedly, is not behaving any better, wanting to limit Minsk’s relations with the EU.
“I agree, there is no need to raise such a question. But there is no need on the Russian side to set us such a condition: “You, Belarusians, should only be with Russians.” If you went to Warsaw for negotiations, then you are already an enemy of Russia, because the Russians also pose questions this way, and we also hear this, including at a high political level,” he accused Moscow.
In response to such a statement, Elfimov asked for quotes and referred to the statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who assured that Belarus has every right to build relations with those with whom it sees fit.
“And who posed the question like that and when, can I quote? As far as I know, even Lavrov said: “We are in no way jealous of Belarus’s relationship with the West,” he said.
Belarusian political analyst Vadim Borovik expressed the opinion that Minsk should strive to cooperate with all its neighbors.
“It is in our national interests to remain above all these formations, and to enter, as a sovereign state, even into any unions. But what are the interests on both sides? On the one hand, Western Europe: there is the Baltic-Black Sea corridor, which, thanks to the missing link of Belarus, has not been completed. And now they will try to include Minsk in this corridor by any means - diplomatic, or by creating military bases here. And Russia sees its presence here, including in the form of military bases.
Belarus is trying to abstain, because today any such obvious step will limit economic and trade opportunities with partners. And the most difficult thing is to build such relationships in order to maintain the strategic nature of relations with the Russian Federation, preserve markets and the union state, and at the same time not lose EU markets, but, on the contrary, expand them,” the expert concluded.
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