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[Sergarr]

happy new year, everyone!

[Knit tie]

happy new year, everyone!

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Belarus finding further sanity in minister public statements.

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has said that his country's main goals for 2015 must be to diversify exports and reduce economic dependence on Russia.

Lukashenka made the comments during a December 30 meeting with newly appointed Prime Minister Andrey Kabyakau. The remarks also came just days before the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia is set to transform into the Eurasian Economic Union (EEC).

"We cannot be dependent on only one or 1 1/2 markets," Lukashenka told Kabyakau. "Yes, Russia is our brother, our friend. But you see how they behave lately." Lukashenka said that his most recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin was tough, but businesslike.

"It is not our first such discussion," he said. "This doesn't mean there is animosity, just that we are friends who can tell one another openly what concerns us."

Also on December 30, Lukashenka ordered Belarus's central bank to "strengthen the trust of people and enterprises in the national currency."

Lukashenka recently ordered the government to denominate trade with Russia in U.S. dollars because of concerns over the weak Russian ruble.

For some reason I think a pivot away from Russia will end up the same in Belarus as it did in the Ukraine. But it's good to see leadership in Belarus not staying verbally welded onto Russia's cliff-approaching cart.

[Knit tie]

For some reason I think a pivot away from Russia will end up the same in Belarus as it did in the Ukraine.

An absolutely horrible economical decision?

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Looks like you don't understand that any sane leader (and Lukashenko is sane) should distance his country from a country led by an insane guy with imperial ambitions.

It is obvious that in case of any major internal problem Belarus will find itself annexed in Crimea style.

[Guardian G.I.]

For some reason I think a pivot away from Russia will end up the same in Belarus as it did in the Ukraine.

An absolutely horrible economical decision?

Eh, Lukashenko is not going to break away from Russia. Diversifying Belarusian exports is not as dangerous for Putin as openly intending to apply for EU membership, with NATO being a possibility.

Also, Lukashenko's New Year Address mainly consisted of stressing the importance of peace and how everyone should strive to maintain it.
Because of weird time zone shit, Putin's address was simultaneous to our president's address. I'm curious, what did he proclaim to everyone?

[Sergarr]

Something about "the new year will be as such as we make it so". I wasn't listening very closely.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

An absolutely horrible economical decision?

For Russia? Yes, yes it was.

[Sergarr]

For some reason I think a pivot away from Russia will end up the same in Belarus as it did in the Ukraine.

An absolutely horrible economical decision?

An absolutely horrible economical decision?

For Russia? Yes, yes it was.

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

It might be surprising to find out that Ukraine is doing pretty well considering they're being invaded by their previous benefactor and major trade partner.

It just goes to show that outwardly strong military imagery doesn't translate into economically viable military utilization for Russia. This little excursion is putting a major strain on the Kremlin's ability to do much of anything besides reflexively respond. That's not a situation you want to be in.

I think it's easy to lose perspective when you're being told otherwise, but Russia is suffering more in terms of both monetary and geopolitical damage than Ukraine is during this period. Ukraine will be fine in 20 years.

[Knit tie]

@Mictlan: Ukraine is not being invaded, it is simply fighting with its own people who tried to secede and are being supported by Russia. And 20 years is a hell of a lot of time, it took Ukraine less to recover from WW2.

And anyway, I think that you might not be entirely rational in you analysis, considering your vehement anti-Russian position and all.

Mictlan, buddy, you blocked my PM, so I'll have to ask you here: what's your beef with Russia? You seem as anti-Russian as UR, but there's no Russia-related crisis in you country. I am just wondering how your position on Russia came to be.

[Guardian G.I.]

@Mictlan: Ukraine is not being invaded, it is simply fighting with its own people who tried to secede and are being supported by Russia. And 20 years is a hell of a lot of time, it took Ukraine less to recover from WW2.

And anyway, I think that you might not be entirely rational in you analysis, considering your vehement anti-Russian position and all.

Mictlan, buddy, you blocked my PM, so I'll have to ask you here: what's your beef with Russia? You seem as anti-Russian as UR, but there's no Russia-related crisis in you country. I am just wondering how your position on Russia came to be.

Mictlan's father used to live in the GDR and escaped to the West to avoid being persecuted by the Stasi, if I'm not mistaken. He mentioned it once in the American politics thread.

[Knit tie]

@Mictlan: Ukraine is not being invaded, it is simply fighting with its own people who tried to secede and are being supported by Russia. And 20 years is a hell of a lot of time, it took Ukraine less to recover from WW2.

And anyway, I think that you might not be entirely rational in you analysis, considering your vehement anti-Russian position and all.

Mictlan, buddy, you blocked my PM, so I'll have to ask you here: what's your beef with Russia? You seem as anti-Russian as UR, but there's no Russia-related crisis in you country. I am just wondering how your position on Russia came to be.

Mictlan's father used to live in the GDR and escaped to the West to avoid being persecuted by the Stasi, if I'm not mistaken. He mentioned it once in the American politics thread.

Oh, I see. So you want to see the Soviets' largest chunk fall as a payback for your father, Mictlan. You have all my sympathy. I am afraid I cannot say that I hope that Russia falls so that you can be happy, but I still wish you and you dad all the best.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

I don't need to wish or pray for anything to happen, the Kremlin takes care of that for me. They've done a fine enough job of eroding their own position of power without invading sovereign nations. And now you get to throw that into the bucket of problems with the government of Russia, getting involved in internal policy and instigating instability in once-allied nations via military incursion [breaking a non-proliferation/non-aggression/co-usage of Crimea treaty you yourself proposed] is a pretty good way to show you're not much of a government to work with on a purely friendly level.

Expect more Russia-dependent countries to turn away. I think if Belarus truly starts to chill relations it will be a paradigm shift for the Kremlin.

I'm just hoping there's cooler heads in the Kremlin that aren't so willing to continue hurting Russians for Putin's power games.

[Sergarr]

Ukraine? Once-allied nation? No. It wasn't allied to Russia. Not during the past 20 years, no.

It has been neutral at best and actively hostile at worst during that time. Never it has been "allied".