Economic Union in Heart of Europe

Yuri BARANCHIK | 31.05.2014 | 00:00

The experts were still discussing the results of historic Russia and China summit and the strategically important gas agreement signed on May 21 as another, no less important, event took place on May 29. In Astana the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the treaty on establishing the Eurasian Economic Union also known as the Eurasian Union (EaU) to come into force starting from January 1, 2015. «Today we are creating together a powerful and attractive centre of economic development, a major regional market which brings together more than 170 million people», Russian President Vladimir Putin said, adding that the union accounted for one fifth of world gas reserves and about 15% of oil reserves in the world. Meanwhile, the troika has a well-developed industrial base and strong personnel. The total EaU GDP is around $2, 6 billion. Customs barriers are to be eliminated uniting the markets of goods, services and labor. In 2015 the process of gradual unification of energy, transport, financial and economic systems will start creating the conditions for switching to single currency. The aggregate GDP of the states participating in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) will increase by about $900 billion by 2030. «The Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union is aimed to improve the welfare and the quality of life in Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus, to ensure free movement of goods, services, capital and labor, and to carry out a coordinated economic policy. As a result of the integration process, the aggregate GDP is expected to expand by about $900 billion by 2030», emphasized the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.  Some moot points affecting bilateral relations were resolved, like the ones related to alcohol and tobacco between Russia and Kazakhstan, customs duties for oil between Russia and Belarus. Everyone made some concessions and got gains in return. The parties know well the general positive effect will by far outweigh any potential losses.  It is planned to have a unified energy market by 2019 and oil and gas market by 2025. Head of the Eurasian Economic Commission Viktor Khristenko said unified rules to be in effect are the result of coordinated efforts. He noted that the treaty has updated the goals and tools to achieve the four freedoms of movement of goods, services, capital and labor. «For example, the treaty touches upon the areas that were left beyond the scope of integration before, namely energy, oil, and gas. The treaty clearly sets out the goal towards the common market, and also a clear time framework», said the Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission. According to him, 2025 is not just a date anticipated without applying any efforts; there are lot things to be done. For instance, in 2016 the member states are to adopt a common policy concept for oil, oil products and gas markets.  The process of financial markets integration is to be over by 2025. By January 2016 the governments are to come up with the plan aimed at harmonization of sectoral legislation. Common rules for banking, brokers and insurance licenses are to be established by 2017 to be mutually recognized after 2020. The unification of banks, insurance companies and brokerage firms oversight regulations is expected to be over by 2019.  The introduction of single currency is not on agenda as yet. According to the Eurasian Economic Union’s press-service, the estimates show that level of economic integration is not sufficient for introduction of one currency, at least not till 2025.  The currency union is the highest form of integration to be reached after taking coordinated microeconomic steps, in particular adopting common economic policy with the aim to create a single financial market by 2020. The direct convertibility of currencies is a must. Any intermediate settlement phases with the use of the dollar and the euro must be eliminated.  No matter the presidents avoided direct comments on the political significance of the Astana treaty, it’s clear that this is the event of momentous importance to influence the world politics. The large-scale Russia - China gas treaty also has political significance. It’s a proof that all the talk about Russia being isolated is nothing more than just empty words; the world of business does not understand the language of sanctions.  There is a new economic entity emerging in Eurasia with its own interests and goals. It will facilitate the protection of members’ economic interests. Two more countries – Kyrgyzstan and Armenia plan to join the union this year. The Eurasian Economic Union is located in the heart of European continent. It’s hard to implement large-scale economic projects going around the territories of the member-states.  The new association strengthens the position of its members in their dialogue with the United States and Europe. After Shanghai and Astana nobody perceives Eurasia as a chessboard with the United States moving pieces and calling all the shots. http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2014/05/31/economic-union-in-heart-of-europe.html

Tags: Eurasian Union Belarus Russia Ukraine

Eurasian Economic Union to Become Economic Power West Has to Reckon With – Lawmaker

News | 29.05.2014 | 19:53

The nascent Eurasian Economic Union (EAU) will soon become an economic power that the West will have to reckon with, and its creation was a logical response to attempts by Western partners to establish unfavorable rules of the game, Russian lawmaker Anton Zharkov said Thursday. “The EAU will soon become a power that the West will have to reckon with, the Union has the potential, it is also oriented not only to the cooperation within its members, but also to the expansion of ties with the Asia-Pacific partners,” said Zharkov, a member of the Russian State Duma. The creation of the block has propelled its member states to a higher level of integration. The signatories have made commitments to ensure coordinated policy in key economic sectors, including energy, industry, agriculture, transportation. According to the lawmaker, the creation of such an economic structure, which will be open for the accession of new members, is not only a logical development of economic relations within the former Soviet republics, but also a response to the West’s attempts to thrust unfavorable rules of the game on its partners. On Thursday, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed an agreement on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union, which is to enter force next January. The deal stipulates integration and free trade between its three member states. More countries are expected to join the block as well. Earlier in the day, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev announced his country was planning to join the union by the end of the year. The leader already met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a roadmap for the accession, with Putin saying Russia was ready to assist the country in the process. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan also said Armenia was set to join the EAU Treaty by June 15. The Russian President hailed the initiative, saying the deal should be signed as soon as possible. RIA Novosti

Obamas Rede In Westpoint gegen den Strich gelesen:

Er reagiert auf die Republikaner, die  meinen" Amerika  ist im Niedergang"!

Obama kündigt bei Krisen in der Welt  mehr Zurückhaltung an!

Er betont:Schwelle für Militäroperationen müsse künftig niedriger liegen.

 Er sagt:"Eine Strategie, die bedeutet, in jedes Land einzumarschieren, das Terrornetzwerke beherbergt, ist naiv und unhaltbar."

und weiter:. "In der ganzen Welt glauben sie, dass auf uns kein Verlass ist." 
Und er verkündet Truppenabzug aus Afghanistan!

Das sind trotz allen Übels Hofffnungschimmer, hier muss die Gegenstrategie einsetzen, die Erfolg haben will, so lese man den dpa-Bericht

US-AußenpolitikDie "unverzichtbarste Nation"

US-Präsident Barack Obama bekräftigt den globalen Führungsanspruch der USA. (dpa / Kristoffer Tripplaar)

US-Präsident Barack Obama hat in einer außenpolitischen Grundsatzrede den weltweiten Führungsanspruch der USA bekräftigt. "Amerika muss auf der Weltbühne immer führen. Wenn wir es nicht tun, tut es kein anderer", sagte er in der Militärakademie in West Point. Außerdem will der US-Präsident den internationalen Terrorismus weiter bekämpfen.

Obama hob in seiner Rede die herausragende Bedeutung der amerikanischen Streitkräfte in der Welt hervor: "Unser Militär hat kein gleichwertiges Gegenüber." Die Stellung der USA sei zu kaum einer anderen Zeit stärker gewesen als gegenwärtig. Er widersprach damit Kritikern aus den Reihen der Republikaner, dass sich : befinde und er den Führungsanspruch aufgegeben habe. Die USA seinen auch nach einer langen Zeit des Krieges die "unverzichtbarste Nation der Welt".

Höhere Schwellen für künftige Militäroperationen

Obama verteidigte auch die Sanktionspolitik gegen Russland in der aktuellen Ukraine-Krise. Die Strafmaßnahmen der internationalen Gemeinschaft würden Russland treffen und der Ukraine helfen, "ohne das ein Schuss gefallen ist." Das ist laut Obama "amerikanische Führung".

Obama kündigte an, dass die USA bei Krisen in der Welt zukünftig zurückhaltender agieren werden. Wenn Probleme keine direkte Bedrohung für Amerika seien, dann müsse die Schwelle für Militäroperationen höher liegen: "Unter solchen Umständen sollten wir es nicht alleine machen."

Kampf gegen internationalen Terrorismus

Stattdessen sollten Verbündete und Partner für gemeinsame Aktionen mobilisiert werden. Multilaterale Militärschläge müssten aber "berechtigt, notwendig und effektiv" sein.

Obama trat in seiner Rede für eine neue Strategie im Kampf gegen den internationalen Terrorismus ein. Amerika und seine Partner müssten darauf reagieren, dass die Bedrohung heutzutage von dezentral organisierten Gruppen und Extremisten mit verschiedenen Zielen ausgehe. "Eine Strategie, die bedeutet, in jedes Land einzumarschieren, das Terrornetzwerke beherbergt, ist naiv und unhaltbar." Mit den betroffenen Ländern solle zusammengearbeitet werden. Der Präsident kündigte an, dass die USA andere Länder mit insgesamt fünf Milliarden Dollar (3,7 Milliarden Euro) im Anti-Terror-Kampf unterstützen werde. Das Geld solle in Training und Ausbildung fließen.

McCain kritisiert Obamas Rede

Die Republikaner haben die außenpolitische Rede von US-Präsident Barack Obama kritisiert. Die Außenpolitik des Präsidenten sei nicht länger vertrauenswürdig, sagte der einflussreiche Senator John McCain dem TV-Sender MSNBC. "In der ganzen Welt glauben sie, dass auf uns kein Verlass ist." Die internationale Gemeinschaft wolle aber ein starkes Amerika.

McCain kritisierte außerdem den von Obama am Vortag verkündeten Abzug aller US-Soldaten aus Afghanistan bis Ende 2016. Die Entscheidung Obamas sei ein Signal an die Taliban, dass sich Washington zurückziehe. "Das ist die falsche Botschaft."

Der afghanische Präsident Hamid Karsai hingegen hat die US-Pläne für einen Truppenabzug begrüßt. "Das Ende der US-Militärpräsenz und die Übernahme der Sicherheitsverantwortung durch die afghanischen Sicherheitskräfte waren der vordringliche Wunsch des Präsidenten, der Regierung und der Bevölkerung Afghanistans", hieß es in einer Erklärung des Präsidentenpalastes. 

(tzi/ach)

Weiterführende Informationen

US-Außenpolitik: Erwartungen an eine Weltmacht  (Deutschlandfunk, Themen der Woche, 04.01.2014)

Afghanistan: Obama verkündet Abzugsdatum (Deutschlandfunk, Informationen am Morgen, 28.05.2014)

Terrorismus: USA helfen Nigeria mit Soldaten (Deutschlandfunk, Aktuell, 21.05.2014)

Letzte Änderung: 28.05.2014 22:31 Uhr

Listen To The Call ’ of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic Address to the International Community

Peoples’ of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic Address to the International Community

We the people of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic turn to the international community at a critical juncture calling for immediate help and adequate reaction to the developments on our land – given the impending threat of our elimination by the Nazi and fascist forces employed by the Ukrainian regime.

We state that our sole desire is life in accordance with our historical traditions and foundations, culture and customs, in peaceful and good neighbor relations with all the nations, peoples and states that are not hostile to us. Intrinsically our people are hardworking and creative, but even so they have to take arms in order to protect their lives and future, as there is no other choice left. We have never displayed aggression towards any country or nation, nor have we ever sought expansion or acquisition of foreign land. But when it comes to our land and our families, we have stood and will stand for them till the end. We have already seen it in history. We saw it during the World War II when hordes of fascist invaders stormed our peaceful land. At the expense of an immense number of victims and colossal efforts the Soviet Union in alliance with the other countries standing on guard of peace in the world overcame Hitler’s fascism that had brought sorrow and bloodshed to our lands. And now, after more than 70 years, the plague of fascism is on the rise again. There is no need in citing innumerable acts where the essence of fascism is manifest that we find today in Ukraine. Kiev, Odessa,Khmelnitskiy, Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Donetsk and many other cities and towns are bleeding today with the blood of our civilians, who are guilty just because they have made a stand against a man-hateful policy of the self-proclaimed Ukrainian authorities having come to power through violent means.

Today we have no other choice but for to die refusing to surrender to man-hating fascists or to unite defending our lives and lives of our wives, children and the old, and we choose the struggle. But we are well aware that our struggle, no matter how well prepared we are, will be most bitter without the help of the international community standing on guard of peace on Earth.

According to the information that we have received from the reliable sources, the current Ukrainian authorities together with the USA are now preparing for the massive mopping-up operation on our land. They will have no mercy to women and children. This fascist scenario is scheduled for the nearest future. We, the people of the Donetsk People’s Republic andLugansk People’s Republic, are ready to face the enemy carrying death to us and our children. But we sincerely hope that the international community will not stand aside and will react at our call for help, as it is more than evident that the fascist monster that shrugs and hits us today will go further tomorrow, fed and led by the USA. Then the world will find itself on the threshold of a new global war. At the same time we certainly do not identify the establishment of the USA and a number of its European allies with the American and European peoples.

We also voice hope that the forces and persons who are responsible for mongering ethnic strife among the Slavs by means of manipulations, provocations, instigations and direct actions, including sponsorship, who back nationalist extremist organizations aiming at launching military, economic, informational and genetic strikes at our people, are fully aware that they will inevitably carry a just punishment, proportionate to the scale of their atrocities and war crimes.

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Светлана Ренц