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ensuring security in Eurasia and promoting its sustainable development by enhancing the organisation's activities in the light of current geopolitical realities," the concept said.
As bne IntelliNews reported, now that Russia has definitively broken with the West following its invasion of Ukraine
a year ago, its hunt for new markets means uncorking the southern route out of Eurasia and into the massive markets of Pakistan and India has become a top priority. Afghanistan is the key to the region, as instability there has blocked the southern exit from the region into South Asia.
The end of Russia’s trade relations
with Europe and the need to build new markets have given new impetus to remaking the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as both a market in its own
right and as a collective vehicle to build new trade relations with the Global South, a goal that Russia shares with China, which has also focused on the importance of developing Eurasia and its ties with the broader region.
Putin highlighted the role EAEU will play in this process as well as the
SCO as two of the key organisations
in the region. China has also focused
on the SCO as playing a leading role
in developing Eurasia. Both Moscow and Beijing are keen to build up the international non-Western political and economic co-operation institutions to rival the Western lead organisations such as the World Bank, IMF and EBRD.
Moscow is calling for the "strengthening of the economic and transport interconnectivity in Eurasia, including through the modernisation and increased capacity of the Baikal-Amur Mainline and the Trans-Siberian railway; the rapid launch of the International North-South Transport Corridor; improvement of infrastructure of
the Western Europe-Western China International Transit Corridor, the Caspian and the Black Sea regions, and the Northern Sea Route; creation of development zones and economic corridors in Eurasia, including the China-Mongolia-Russia economic
corridor, as well as increased regional co-operation in digital development and establishment of an energy partnership."
Developing relations with China
and India is especially important for Russia, the concept says, and mirrors Beijing’s desire to develop land-based connectivity between Asia and Europe both to bind Eurasia more closely
In related news, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said in his state of the nation speech on the same day that Minsk will make a “pivot to the East” amid the United States’ attempts to counter Russia, China and Iran.
"The so-called policy pivot to the East is the most reasonable step, which is in line with the spirit of the times. After
“Developing relations with China and India is especially important for Russia and mirrors Beijing’s desire to develop land-based connectivity between Asia and Europe”
together and also to get away from maritime trade routes due to the US navy’s dominance of the sea.
"Russia aims at further strengthening the comprehensive partnership and the strategic co-operation with the People's Republic of China and focuses on the development of a mutually beneficial co-operation in all areas, provision of mutual assistance and enhancement
of co-ordination in the international arena to ensure security, stability and sustainable development at the global and regional levels, both in Eurasia
and in other parts of the world," the document said.
The Chinese leader Xi Jinping was in Moscow for a three-day visit between March 20-22 in an ostentatious display of support for Putin. India has also clearly come out in support of Russia and trade between the two countries has soared in the last year.
According to its policy, Russia "will continue to build up a particularly privileged strategic partnership with the Republic of India with a view to enhance and expand co-operation
in all areas on a mutually beneficial basis and place special emphasis on increasing the volume of bilateral trade, strengthening investment and technological ties, and ensuring their resistance to destructive actions of unfriendly states and their alliances."
all, the sun sets in the West and rises in the East," he pointed out in an address to the country’s people and parliament. Lukashenko has also been travelling recently to shore up his ties in Asia
and was in Beijing earlier this month to meet Xi and also join the SCO. He followed that with a trip to Tehran and signed co-operation agreements.
Lukashenko pointed out in his speech on March 31 that in terms of foreign trade, Belarus gave priority to its strategic partners and allies, namely Russia and China. "Our exports to Russia increased by half last year, exceeding $23bn, while overall trade passed the $50bn mark," he specified.
Trade and FX
The concept says that Russia will focus on increasing non-energy exports to states pursuing a neutral policy. The document says that Russia will pay attention to enhancing its presence on world markets and increasing non- resource-based, non-energy exports.
It also aims to diversify economic ties geographically to redirect them to states that pursue a constructive and neutral policy towards Russia while remaining open to pragmatic co-operation with business circles of unfriendly states.
The statement also says that Russia will contribute to adapting the global trade and monetary and financial systems
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