Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to create single customs zone

Russian Journal ^ | September 08, 2003

[RussianConservative]

MOSCOW - The Russian government has approved a draft agreement on the creation of the single economic space linking Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

According to the Government Information Department, a corresponding decree was signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov. The draft agreement was submitted to the government by the Russian Economy Ministry; it was coordinated with the Russian Interior Ministry and other concerned federal executive agencies. Preliminary discussions on the agreement were held with Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

According to the draft agreement, the customs territories of the countries-members of the single economic space will be united. The regulation of the four countries’ economies is based on single principles, ensuring free movement of goods, services, capital and workforce. In addition, the single foreign trade, tax, monetary and credit and currency and financial policy will be pursued.

The single economic space will be created in several stages. In particular, the four countries will ensure free trade regime without exceptions and restrictions; protective and antidumping measures will be cancelled, and a single policy will be pursued in the sphere of tariff and non-tariff regulation, single competition rules, and the allocation of subsidies and other forms of state support. Legislation on cross-border transfer of goods will be unified to the extent necessary for the functioning of the single economic space.

In addition, the activity of natural monopolies will be regulated according to single principles.

[goldstategop]

No, the USSR is not being reborn.

[RussianConservative]

It is not, but Russian Empire is different case. Which live longer, Russian empire 400 years or Soviets 70 years?

[TopQuark]

Which live longer, Russian empire 400 years or Soviets 70 years? That's a poor comparison: most of the states in recent history go through phases faster.

[TopQuark]

single foreign trade, tax, monetary and credit and currency

You are right. Having finally, after almost 400 years, freed themselves from the Russians, Ukrainians are giving up their sovereignty again.

[Sender]

They freed themselves from the USSR, only to discover that life is hard when you move out on your own. They probably want some of their former brotherhood back...just leave out the Stalin part, thank you.

[goldstategop]

If the Slavs could get rid of the Muslims a pan-Slavic Greater Russia would probably come into existence in this decade.

[RussianConservative]

True, but all compare regrowing Russia to SU but that not true. Look closer at political climate and culture and see it closer to traditional Russian Empire then foreign imported/imposed SU.

[RussianConservative]

Try ask yourself where "Ukrainian" race come from...do historic check, it come from Russians and Poles who run from authority and mix in lawless The Edge...which is what Ukraina means...Krai is root word: edge.

[RussianConservative]

Khazikstan almost half Russian and many Germans too.

[Cowboy Bob]

This is interesting news. I'll be leaving for Kazakhstan in a few weeks to head up a joint venture in the food industry. I view all this as a positive, and not a return of the "USSR."

[Orion78]

PING!

[GOP_1900AD]

Bob, I view you as a victim of the mother of all NEPs. Good luck pal! I ought to know, been there, done that.... and now, I am very ashamed. I was taken by the Perestroika Deception; I was one of its greatest, unknowing, Western dupes. Then one day (well, really, over a couple of years' time) I woke up. Maybe you will too.

[TopQuark]

If the Slavs could get rid of the Muslims

"Slavs" is a race or ethnicity; "Muslims" is a reference to a religion.

You make interesting connections, my friend.

And what would they have to do with any remaining Jews in their midst? Gypsies? Germans? Georgians and Armenians (they are Christian, you know)

Are you still longing for the Imperial Mother-Russia?

[TopQuark]

foreign imported/imposed SU.

Imported? From where? By whom? And who sustained the Soviet Union once it was "imported?"

[TopQuark]

Try ask yourself where "Ukrainian" race come from...do historic check, it come from Russians and Poles who run from authority and mix in lawless The Edge...which is what Ukraina means...Krai is root word: edge.

It appears that is you, my friend, who needs to do some checking. Kievan Rus was founded well before Moscow has appeared. Go check also who was ruling the Russkies. You may also become curious as to why "Rus" is the name of the Nordic tribe. It is the Norse that was ruling Russia for a long, long time.

As for the word "Ukraina," you are correct: once it was incorporated into the Russian Empire, the always shovinistic Russian kings used with respect to it the name Little Russia, or Ukraina. After the fall of Constantinopol, the Russians started to fancy themselves as the bearers of Christian purity; all other peoples and places --- especially Kiev, which was older and converted to Christianity first, was viewed as a rival. Hence belittlement.

[TopQuark]

I view all this as a positive,

What's so positive about coordinating foreign trade, for instance?

[GOP_1900AD]

Being that many of my own ancestral threads are "slavic" I've done quite of bit of family tree work and read lots of history regarding E. Europe and Asia. In my own case, a number of threads (including some non Slavic ones) combined on this side of the pond. Back in the "old country" my own people were from distinct areas - one pool from the Eastern Baltic, between St. Petersberg and Gdansk / Danzig, another from Carpathia, another from the Belarus / Ukrainian border area, and one more from just east of the Urals. Bottom line is *the* distinguishing characteristic that sets most Russians apart from Western Slavs (of which Poles, Czechs, and fractionally, certain other Baltic folks are, and marginally, Byelorussians) is the historical fact of the Golden Horde and intermarriage between Kievan Rus and Mongols and their heirs. Most Russians have a real sore spot of their Asian component. But this must be discussed if we are indeed looking openly at this matter. Flame away Ruskies!

"Belmont Marek" ;)

[GOP_1900AD]

BTW - In my family tree work, mentioned in the post I just made, I found that one of my forebears, although born in Ukraine, was apparently of Slovak extraction, yet had a very unusual surname Vs. most Slovak ones I have heard. I did some searching and it turned out to be seemingly very Jewish! OMG, now all those who are paranoid of the ancient Jacobin / Nazi fraud known as the "Protocols" will heretofore pigeon hole me forever as a Zionist reactionary! ;)

[TopQuark]

Mark, you are clearly well informed:

Most Russians have a real sore spot of their Asian component.

I was very tempted to bring that up in the previous post: whenever I hear the Russians insist on their specialk status and purity, this fact comes to mind. Somehow, I think they would not mind finding and admitting to inter-marriages with... the French --- but Mongols? How degrading. They really dislike that part.

If one were to dig just below the surface, there is plenty that comes up. If the southwestern part is confusing -- Scythians, various Slavic tribes, Goths, Huns -- all passed through and intermingled in that area, consider a relatively simple question: Norhtern Russia, what happened to all the Finnish tribes that were native to that land? Of course they became subsumed, of course the blood that is considered Russian today in those parts includes Finnish blood as well. I once tried to bring that up -- the Russkies did not like that either.

Thanks for your post.