Creation of customs union within EurAsEC may impede unwillingness to be under Russia’s influence: expert

Creation of customs union within EurAsEC may impede unwillingness to be under Russia’s influence: expert The establishment of a Customs Union within the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus may hinder apprehension of the post-Soviet space be under the direct influence of Russia, Director of the Center of the Russia-Eurasia Council on Foreign Policy of Germany Alexander Rahr said.
“Anything that tries Russia to offer has remained largely on paper, as other nations do not want to depend solely on Russia and to enter into any new alliances, which may resemble the Soviet Union,” Rahr told Trend News over phone.
Hree countries – Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan may unite in the Customs Union since Jan. 1, 2010, the RIA Novosti quoted Russian First Vice Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov as saying.
However, great policy may impede the implementation of the project timely, expert said.
The Customs Union is the first step to other forms of reintegration, Rahr said. The creation of a customs union would be to say that Russia refuses to go to Europe and Asia, but there are doubts about the project in early 2010.
“There is a form of regional integration, such as the European Union (EU), which is functioning well, but at the same time there has been no integration of this idea in the post-Soviet space over 20 years,” the political scientist said.
Many of the post-Soviet countries do not want to depend on Russia, and for this reason that Russia fails to create something like the Eastern-European Union in the post-Soviet space, Rahr said.
The post-Soviet countries is not denied Russia in the reintegration process, but at the same time leave all doors open for cooperation with other countries including the EU. This, according to experts, is because Russia politically and economically is not sufficiently attractive country, especially during the crisis.
The establishment of an efficient union is possible.
Russia is not so great a powerful economic engine in the former Soviet Union, but it could become an attractive and then, I think this union is quite likely,” Rahr said.
According to the political scientist, it is worth to keep in mind also that the European Union is unlikely to be able to get rid of their financial difficulties and expand to the East over the next 10-15 years./Trend/