Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has welcomed idea of a Eurasian Union that was put forward by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
"For the first time in years, Russia has clearly and unambiguously stated that relations with countries that, paraphrasing a classic, came out of a common Soviet overcoat, is its priority. Not a slogan-style or superficial priority, but the one that encompasses the entire life and activity of our countries and people. What’s more, in my opinion, it’s the first time in Russia’s modern history that was said by a presidential candidate. As far as I can see, it’s his pre-election program," Lukashenko writes in an article carried by the Izvestia newspaper.
"This means a lot. There is a strategy behind those words, a correct strategy. Only narrow-minded people can accuse the publication and its author of pursuing campaign targets".
The West’s skeptical reaction to Putin’s initiatives is no surprise, Lukashenko writes.
"Clearly, hardly any global player would rejoice at the news that a new powerful common market with a serious resource base and major production and intellectual potential is being created," the Belarusian leader says.
The current international financial problems indicate that a receptive common market and a balance of interests are effective counterweights against the crisis, the article says.
"The creation of unifying alliances is a right step toward a stable peace. We can’t do without integration," Lukashenko writes.
At the same time, he noted that integration processes in the post-Soviet space were sluggish.
