''EU wary of new Soviet empire in disguise''

From Public Service Europe

''Brussels officials besieged by the Eurosceptic press may be relieved to discover that for the first time they have a natural ally: Russian 'Eurocrats'. While currently more of a club than an aspiring federal government, there are already not far from a thousand Moscow-based 'Eurocrats' beavering away at what some suggest could be the next regional powerhouse: the Eurasian Economic Commission.''

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''Vietnam Considers Joining Customs Union''

From Ria Novosti


''Vietnam is considering joining the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang said on Sunday during his visit to Russia.

Asked if Vietnam wanted to join the trade body, Vietnamese leader said that “if there is a political will from our country’s authorities, as well as Belarusian and Kazakh partners, we will soon be able to start this process [joining to the Customs Union].''

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''Challenges of Eurasian integration''

From Russia & India Report

''The prospects of the emerging structure, where the main axis will obviously be the cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan, were outlined in the article by V. Putin "The New Integration Project for Eurasia: the Future in the Making", published on October 4, 2011 in the newspaper "Izvestia". He pointed out, in particular, that this alliance will be one of the centers of the world economy and policy and “will ensure sustainability of global development” alongside with the EU, U.S., China and APEC. Putin also pointed out the possibility of expanding cooperation of the Eurasian Union and the EU.''

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''Putin reaffirms focus on neighbors''

From China Daily

''The summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States on Sunday, along with the summit of Collective Security Treaty Organization days ago, reaffirmed Putin's main foreign policy direction in his new term, analysts said.

Putin called for more economic integration and cooperation in innovation with neighboring countries during the CIS summit. On Wednesday, an informal summit discussed ways to further integrate the natural resource, technological, intellectual and labor potential of the countries.''

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EEU – ''the moment of truth for the President''

From Vestnik 

''The idea of establishing a Eurasian Economic Union was described by Slutsky as “the moment of truth” for President Putin: “It is of high importance for him. If it is of high importance, we should focus not only on the work with presidents, premiers, and deputies, but also with common people. In this case the Eurasian Economic Union will have another character, it will be an inconvertible situation. I hope it will be supported in the near future by millions of residents of the post-Soviet area.''

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''What a Eurasian Union Means for Washington''

From National Interest

"Though worries about a new USSR (or “USSR lite”) are overblown, the United States has reason to be wary. While the economic and political logic for deeper integration across parts of the post-Soviet region is strong, and although regional integration could strengthen weak economies, especially in Central Asia, Russian-sponsored integration also brings another threat: deepening dependence of neighboring countries on Russia that could compromise not only development but also foreign-policy autonomy."

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Putin: ''Integration of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan Irreversible''

From Telegraf.by

"Vladimir Putin considers the formation of the Customs Union and Common Economic Space of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the most important geopolitical event of the former Soviet Union since its collapse. According to him, the integration in the Eurasian region is a priority for Russia, since it helps to strengthen the country's position in the world."


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''Eurasian Peole’s Union holds founding conference in Minsk''

From Belarus News

"A founding conference was held in Minsk on Sunday for the Eurasian Peole’s Union, a national-level public association set up to assist the establishment of the Eurasian Union by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia.
Fifty-nine delegates representing Belarus’ all six regions took part in the conference. Senior members of a similar NGO established recently in Ukraine attended it as guests."

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''Eurasia summit flops in Moscow''

From Euractiv

"A summit designed to put in place an economic union similar to the EU failed to reach its goals yesterday (19 March), following the objection by Belarus to putting in place a community mechanism, capable of imposing its decisions to member states.

The establishment of a 'Eurasian Union', largely modeled on the EU, was postponed to 2015, after the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko insisted that member countries should have the right to veto the decision of the future body."

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''Russia: Putin’s Tsar Paul Complex''

From Eurasia Net

"Now that Vladimir Putin has dispensed with the formalities of reclaiming presidential authority, Kremlinologists can focus on the more substantive question of how Russia’s paramount leader intends to define his third term. In particular, many are wondering how he will proceed with his pet project -- the creation of a Eurasian Union.

Russia-led Eurasian integration is perhaps the last “big idea” in Putin’s ideological arsenal that he can draw on to prop up its eroding legitimacy. Even so, the Russian blueprint for integrating post-Soviet Eurasia seems now less feasible than ever before."

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''Possibility of single currency within Eurasian Economic Union requires consideration''

"Vasil Dalhalyow, Belarus' former ambassador to Russia, expressed certainty that the Customs Union member states would have to adopt a single currency one day. "The question is how this will be done," he added."


from naviny...

''Putin Cautions Eurasian Union on EU Mistakes''

"“I hope that you and your colleagues… will take into account both the achievements and mistakes of our EU neighbors,” Putin said, stressing it was critical to avoid repeating those mistakes."


from ria novosti..

''Putin faces an uphill task to realize his plan for Eurasian Economic Union''

"The formal launching of the CES is expected to consolidate the economies of the three CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries with the ultimate aim of transforming it into the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a fully fledged and closely united economic bloc on the model of the European Union (EU)."


from russia & india report...

''Eurasian Union and Russia's Geostrategic Stability''

read more from strategic culture.org....

"Russia can't realistically hope to achieve geostrategic stability unless it manages to entrain Ukraine. As a result, the task of precluding synergies between the two countries occupies a significant line on the US and EU foreign-policy agendas. Russian premier Vladimir Putin's opinion piece published in Izvestia in 2011 - "A new integration project for Eurasia: The future in the making" – where he puts forward a case for building a Eurasian union in the post-Soviet space, simply had to come under fire in the West, as what Putin suggests is an alliance between Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, to which Kazakhstan and other republics of the former Soviet Union would also be welcome.

It is clear that the West will spare no efforts to prevent the project from materializing, and Brussel's tactic behind the free trade zone and association agreement with Ukraine reflects this wider approach."

''Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan Start 'Eurasian' Economic Space''

"The three former Soviet republics forming a customs union - Russia, Belarus andKazakhstan – have formed a common economic space as of January 1, 2012.

In November, the Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh presidents signed a declaration on Eurasian economic integration, a roadmap of integration processes aimed at creating the Eurasian Economic Union, which will be based on the Customs Union andcommon economic space among the three countries, RIA Novosti reminds."

read more from novinite.......

''Russia expects to create Eurasian Economic Union by 2015'' – Medvedev

read more from ria novosti.....

"Russia intends to intensify economic integration in the post-Soviet space and expects the Eurasian Economic Union with Belarus and Kazakhstan to come into existence by 2015, President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday.

“As for economic integration, we are going to proceed further. From January 1, 2012, a common economic space between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will come on steam and a free flow of services, capital and workforce will be added to the free movement of goods,” Medvedev said in his state of the nation address to both houses of parliament"

Pepe Escobar: "Playing chess in Eurasia''

merry xmas pepe and thanks for helping us to understand the grand chess board........NEmpire

read more from asia times online......

"Bets are off on which is the great story of 2011. Is it the Arab Spring(s)? Is it the Arab counter-revolution, unleashed by the House of Saud? Is it the "birth pangs" of the Greater Middle East remixed as serial regime changes? Is it R2P ("responsibility to protect") legitimizing "humanitarian" bombing? Is it the freeze out of the "reset" between the US and Russia? Is it the death of al-Qaeda? Is it the euro disaster? Is it the US announcing a Pacific century cum New Cold War against China? Is it the build up towards an attack on Iran? (well, this one started with Dubya, Dick and Rummy ages ago ...) 

Underneath all these interlinked plots - and the accompanying hysteria of Cold War-style headlines - there's a never-ending thriller floating downstream: Pipelineistan. That's the chessboard where the half-hidden twin of the Pentagon's "long war" is played out. Virtually all current geopolitical developments are energy-related. So fasten your seat belts, it's time to revisit Dr Zbigniew Brzezinski's "grand chessboard" in Eurasia to find out who's winning the Pipelineistan wars"

''Putin’s Eurasian Union takes wings''

read more from indian punchline....

"The decision by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan to form the Eurasian Economic Commission [EEC] on Wednesday at the CIS leaders’ summit brings into focus the integration processes in the post-Soviet space. After several false starts through the past two decades of efforts by Moscow, a critical mass seems to be forming, finally. The turning point, in retrospect, was the Customs Union formed by the 3 countries in January last year, which eventually became operational 6 months later in July.  

The 3 countries thereupon committed themselves to launch a Common Economic Space by January 2012 and transform their fledgling organization into a Eurasian Economic Union [EEU]. The EEU is an initiative by Vladimir Putin, envisaging free flow of goods, services and labour and a common currency. The formation of the EEC on Wednesday takes the EEU idea significantly forward. 

Media reports say “several” CIS countries have evinced interest in the EEU — Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, in particular. Interestingly, Uzbek president Islam Karimov who attended the CIS summit in Moscow has been quoted saying, “The Eurasian Union and everything else [in the direction of Eurasian integration] are the natural and pre-ordained development of everything happening today in the world.” 

'Eurasian Union idea takes shape'

from voice of russia.......

"The idea to form the Eurasian Economic Union has taken a specific shape, as prime ministers of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan coordinated a relevant draft declaration. The declaration is expected to be signed by the three sides’ presidents as early as in December this year, Russian PM Vladimir Putin said summing up the results of the two-day meeting with his CIS counterparts in St. Petersburg. The discussion mainly focused on the integration processes across the post-Soviet space"............READ MORE 

'Putin Calls For Eurasian Union In Former Soviet Space'

from rferl.........

"Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has outlined a grand vision for integrating ex-Soviet states in his first major policy initiative since he announced his intention to return to the Kremlin.

In an article on the front page of the daily "Izvestiya," Putin called for the creation of a "Eurasian Union" that would include Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

Putin praised Russia's existing Customs Union with the two countries, which plans to remove all barriers to trade, capital, and labor movement next year. He said such a union, founded in 2009, must "build on the experience of the European Union and other regional coalitions"................READ MORE