To the President of the Republic of Belarus
Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich
To the President of the Russian Federation
Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich
Copy:
Secretary of State of the Union State of Belarus and Russia
Rapota Grigory Alekseevich
APPEAL
by left-patriotic public associations of Belarus, which formed the Coordination Council "Unity",
THERE ARE NO DEEP INTEGRATION OF BELARUS AND RUSSIA ALTERNATIVES
On December 8, 2019, the peoples of Belarus and Russia celebrated the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. However, after two decades, the peoples of our countries regret to note that the Union State has not been fully created.
For 20 years, many articles of the signed Treaty have not been fulfilled: a truly unified economic space has not been created, there is no single monetary unit (currency) provided for in Article 13 of the Treaty, the uniform citizenship of the Union State has not been fully implemented so that every citizen has equal rights to any its parts, which was provided for by the Treaty on the Equal Rights of Citizens of December 25, 1998, there is no Constitutional Act. Even article 10 of the 1999 Treaty on the Symbols and Attributes of Statehood of the Union State was not implemented - the simplest thing that could be done.
Many people in Belarus and Russia hoped that in connection with the 20th anniversary, our leaders would finally take decisive measures to put the Treaty on the Creation of the Union State into action. But our hopes have not yet been realized. Despite the intensive Belarusian-Russian negotiations held in November-December 2019, the new year 2020 was met without clear agreements on integration, as well as the price of oil and gas and their supplies to Belarus.
Finally, at the recent talks between President of Belarus A. Lukashenko and President of Russia V. Putin in Sochi, some half-hearted decisions were reached regarding the supply of gas and oil to Belarus and their prices. But the main issue - the issue of deepening integration - was again postponed indefinitely, which makes us feel anxious and insecure about tomorrow.
Over the past 13 years, we have been witnessing how difficult Belarusian-Russian negotiations on energy supplies are going on at the end of each year. In addition, milk, sugar and other “wars” in mutual trade periodically break out.
Why it happens? The answer is obvious: because there is no single economic space in which the free movement of goods, services, capital, labor within the territories of the participating states is ensured. The lack of a single economic space is a brake on the path of union construction. For example, in the European Union there is no such degree of mutual contradictions in internal trade as in our Union, although outside the EU there is a fierce struggle in foreign trade, for example, between the EU and the USA, the EU and China. It was with a view to mutual benefit that the countries of the European Union came together, agreeing to supranational bodies with fairly broad powers.
The Treaty on the Creation of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, signed on December 8, 1999, is the document in which the most important issue of the formation of a single economic space has been taken into account. In our opinion, with the full implementation of the Agreement, the issue of gas and oil prices can be resolved more simply not at the level of leaders of the participating states, but at the level of business entities (enterprises, firms, corporations, holdings, etc.). Other issues related to this issue specified in the Treaty are also thoroughly thought out, for example, the issue of creating supranational bodies of the Union State.
Moreover, for critics of the Treaty, it should be emphasized that the creation of supranational bodies and the voluntary delegation of authority to the Union State does not at all lead to the loss of sovereignty. Article 6 of the Treaty clearly states: “Each state party shall retain, taking into account the powers voluntarily transferred to the Union State, sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, state structure, Constitution, state flag, coat of arms and other attributes of statehood.” In addition, article 37 (paragraph 1) of the Treaty says: “Acts of the Supreme State Council are adopted on the basis of unanimity of the participating states. An act is not adopted if one of the participating states opposes its adoption ”(The European Union has a similar principle of consensus in decision-making).
Independence is now widely spoken in Belarus. For those supporters of independence for whom the above arguments are unconvincing, we draw attention to the fact that in the present world almost all countries are interdependent from each other, even such a powerful state as the United States, as recent events have shown, depends on economic EU and China policy. At the same time, the advantages of large state and interstate entities under conditions of global economic instability are obvious, and world practice confirms: the higher the degree of integration of states, the more effective their union. Therefore, our public associations advocate sovereignty within the Union State, and not outside the Union of Belarus and Russia.
Tearing is not beneficial to either Belarusians or Russians, it destabilizes our economy and annoys ordinary people who say: "Pans are fighting, but forefathers are cracking at the lackeys." Then the question arises: who benefits from the disagreement between Belarus and Russia? The answer to this question was given in December 2012 by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who announced her intention to oppose the integration process in the territory of the former USSR.
However, our public associations are not at all limited to the economic benefits of creating the Union State of Belarus and Russia. In addition, there are political and military reasons requiring the unification of our states. As you know, the desire of the Belarusian people to unite with Russia was expressed twice: at the All-Union referendum on March 17, 1991, at which 82.7% of the inhabitants of the BSSR supported the preservation of a single state, and the republican referendum on May 14, 1995, at which 83.3% citizens of the Republic of Belarus voted in favor of the issue of integration with the Russian Federation.
We, Belarusians and Russians, have common roots, a common history, a common destiny, together our ancestors, who had a common self-name "Rusyns", i.e. "Russians", fought against foreign invaders. The divide and conquer policy is not new, it has been used since the time of the Roman Empire, and in the execution of the modern West in relation to the post-Soviet republics it is implemented in the form of “color revolutions”, as a result of which these republics are completely dependent on Western countries. The results of such a “revolution” turned out to be especially tragic for Ukraine, where a coup d'etat was carried out under the dictation of Western intelligence services. As a result, the power was seized by the Neo-Bandera, who unleashed a civil war and pursue a neo-fascist policy. With regard to the fraternal Ukrainian people, the main goal of the West has been successfully realized so far - the separation of Ukraine from Russia, which corresponds to the dreams of German Chancellor Bismarck "to oppose Ukraine to Russia, to pit two parts of a single people and watch how the brother will kill his brother."
Our public associations strongly oppose the implementation of the Ukrainian scenario in Belarus. Belarus is now the last bastion on the path of expansion of the West.
Unfortunately, in this harsh time, when, contrary to the assurances of the leaders of the Western countries, not to advance NATO forces to the east, their military contingents have already been deployed on the borders of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, the military danger against our peoples is growing. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the United States announced its withdrawal from the INF Treaty and its intention not to extend the START-3 treaty. Thus, the increasing military danger requires accelerating the unification of the resources of Belarus and Russia.
In connection with the 75th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, we propose that our media cover as fully as possible that the Victory was won thanks to the unity and friendship of all the peoples of the Soviet Union. We support the positive response of the President of the Republic of Belarus A. Lukashenko to the invitation of the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin to visit the Victory Parade, which will be held in Moscow on May 9.
We support the processions of the “Immortal Regiment” on May 9th, which are the popular action of our COMMON MEMORY about the Victory and those thanks to whom it was won. The “Immortal Regiment” campaign has become international in recent years and covers 110 countries of the world, unites people in the fight against war and neo-fascism.
We, the leaders of the left-wing patriotic public associations of Belarus, which formed the Coordination Council "UNITY", appeal to you, Alexander Grigoryevich and Vladimir Vladimirovich, with an appeal:
Show your political will and, in accordance with the Treaty of December 8, 1999, begin the full implementation of the unification of our countries into a single Union State with a functioning single leadership. In this case, clear terms of association should be determined. Full implementation of the Treaty will make the Union State attractive for other states to join it. Further delay the process of creating the Union State is unacceptable.
By implementing the Agreement, signed more than 20 years ago, you will go down in history as unifiers. Currently, throughout the territory of the former USSR, people curse the destroyers of the Great Power, of which they were proud.
Make a possible impact on state-owned media so that they exaggerate as little as possible around the relations between Belarus and Russia and stop attacking each other. Our peoples are not at all interested in trade showdowns and competitions who outwit whom, they need real
things to improve their lives and ensure security, as well as peace and friendship.
There is no alternative to the deep integration of Belarus and Russia.
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER!
The leaders of the left-patriotic public associations of Belarus, which formed the Coordination Council "UNITY":
B. B. ZELIKOV, Chairman of the Republican Civil Committee of the Patriotic Public Association "Fatherland"
V.V. DRACO, Chairman of the Republican Council of the public association "For Democracy, Social Progress and Justice",
deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus
L.E. SHKOLNIKOV, Secretary-Coordinator of the Republican Public Association "For the Union and the Communist Party
Union "
G.I. SIMANOVSKY, Secretary of the Coordinating Council
left-patriotic associations of Belarus "UNITY"
Minsk, 02.20.2020
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