28 March 2024, Thursday, 14:14
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Who Is the Dependant?

Who Is the Dependant?

The economist answered the communist.

Doctor of Economics Barys Zhaliba published an article in Narodnaya Volya:

"Recently, Sergei Kaliakin, leader of the Fair World Party, gave an interview to Radio Svaboda. Answering the journalist's questions, he said: "No one else but Russia will support Belarus". You should agree that these words can't help but hurt the feelings of those Belarusians who do not even think they are dependants.

In Soviet times, Belarus was a donor republic and fed Moscow and Leningrad with meat, milk, potatoes and other foodstuffs. Today our agrarians and processors have close ties with almost all regions of Russia. Speaking frankly, we do not profit from the sale of agricultural products through the Russian networks, rather their buyers benefit from our supplies than the direct producers.

If Kaliakin calculates the so-called Russian integration hydrocarbon grant, which makes life easier for the Belarusian economy, then he can be told that Belarus:

- does not charge Russia for two major Russian military facilities on its territory - a Russian submarine control center for the North Atlantic near Vileika and a missile alert station of over-the-horizon targeting in the Hantsevichy region;

- does not charge a full fee for the transit of oil, cargo and passengers through the Belarusian territory;

- gives Russia millions of jobs at enterprises working in cooperation with Belarusian producers;

- provides Russia with quite cheap and high-quality agricultural machinery, trucks, cars, dump trucks, etc.

Russia pays Kazakhstan $115 million annually for the lease of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, while two Russian military facilities in Belarus are worth $100 million annually, and billions of dollars have already been raised over the years of their operation.

This year, the Belarusian government expects to receive more than $1.5 billion raised by transit. 150 million dollars are for oil transit, 476 million - for gas pumping, 879 million - for transport services. Transit flows through our territory are based on Russia's foreign trade goods. Belarus has the right to increase transit tariffs and at least double these amounts.

While supplying oil and gas to Belarus, Russia shares natural rent with Belarus. One should look at what part of the Russian hydrocarbon grant reached ordinary Belarusians. The grant expires in 2025: Russian oil prices are about to reach the world ones. Today, Belarus pays 80-85% of world oil prices for oil supplied by Russia to our refineries.

I remember that at a meeting of Belarusian economists in the early 1990s, one of the representatives of the former party claimed that Belarus could create only 4 per cent of its GDP without Russia. Professor N. Savitsky objected: does it mean that I can't go to the toilet without Russia (obviously, he meant the toilet paper that we used to buy in there)? I would like to note that today we have enough this stuff.

Sergei Kaliakin intimidates us that the standard of living of Belarusians will drop by 40 per cent without Russia's support. I'm sorry, that's nonsense! Our neighbours - Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia - escaped from the embrace of Russia 20 years ago. Did their living standards drop by 40 per cent? On the contrary, it has grown considerably.

You remember how the Baltic States took hands and built a chain of hundreds of kilometers, symbolizing their national independence. Russia raised gas prices and they felt cold. But they succeeded! They do not starve and do not feel cold anymore. Moreover, both salaries and pensions have increased several times.

Let's take another example. The Ukrainian economy depended on Russia as well. It showed that it's possible to develop without donations of an imperial neighbour. One just needs to establish close cooperation with other countries, first of all with the EU countries. Today the country still at war shows good economic dynamics. The average salary in Ukraine is already approaching $500.

Kaliakin's assertions that the European Union has stopped helping the countries of the former socialist camp are incorrect. They have received billions of euros every year and still receive. If we, the Belarusians, will ramp up the volume in trade with the European Union, then, I am sure, our country will also receive considerable dividends.

Kaliakin's statements that our neighbours have almost equal standards of living don't hold water. Then, Sergei Ivanovich, why do thousands of our citizens leave and seek jobs in Lithuania?

So many Belarusians work in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia! These countries owe their successful economic development to market reforms, hard work of the population, as well as to the multi-billion dollar assistance of the EU donor countries.

No, I am far from thinking that we need to turn away from Russia and that if we follow this path, Belarus will be favoured by the West. We should have friendly, civilized relations with all our neighbours, both near and far, and build a partnership on a mutually beneficial basis. We are not beggars or dependants. We have everything to evolve, to live a good life. It requires much work. And we will do it!

As for Kaliakin's interview and his communist past, I have an impression that he has no objection to join the Russian Federation. But I am glad, as sociological surveys show, there are very few such people like him.

It means that Belarus should be an independent, sovereign country. And self-reliant one".

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