Russia is on right track in its relations with Belarus, expert believes

President of the Efficient Policy Foundation Gleb Pavlovsky believes that Russia is on the right track in its relations with Belarus, he said on Friday in the press centre of the Izvestia newspaper, when commenting on Russian president Vladimir Putin's statement on the Union of Russia and Belarus.

Pavlovsky pointed out that the president's statement was "politically correct" towards Belarus and its leader Alexander Lukashenko. "In the relations with the Union there is such a notion as political correctness, as we all know that Lukashenko is suffering a slump in rating. It is neither good nor bad, it is just a fact," he said.

That is why Russia "has to specify the balance of its relations with Belarus." The day before Vladimir Putin spoke on a possible closer integration of Russia and Belarus, but he was against granting Belarus the right to veto decisions taken within the Union. He called not to forget that the Belarussian economy equaled only 3 per cent of the Russian economy.

According to Putin, "it was not possible to try restoring the USSR at the expense of Russia's economic interests as this would intensify centrifugal forces within the country and would weaken Russia economically".