Komsomolskaya Pravda: "Vladimir Putin: “None of this entails any kind of revival of the Soviet Union”"
Izvestia published an article by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin titled "A new integration project for Eurasia: The future in the making," in which the prime minister discussed a new integration project, the Common Economic Space of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan (CES), which will be launched on January 1, 2012. In the article, the prime minister called the event historic. The following are excerpts from the article.
Boders
"For the general public (citizens of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus), the lifting of migration, border and other barriers, including what are known as labour quotas, will mean that they have a free choice about where to live, study, and work. Incidentally, the Soviet Union with its system of registered domicile did not offer anything like this complete freedom."
Entrepreneurship
"All Russian, Kazakh, and Belarusian entrepreneurs will be able to choose in which of the three countries to register their companies, where they want to do business and file their customs registration. This will be a serious incentive for national administrative systems to start improving their market institutions, administrative procedures and their business and investment climate."
Reriving the Soviet Union and views on Europe
"None of this entails any kind of revival of the Soviet Union. It would be naïve to try to revive or emulate something that has been consigned to history. But these times call for close integration based on new values and a new political and economic foundation.
"The Eurasian Union is an open project. We welcome other partners to it, particularly CIS member states. At the same time, we are not going to hurry or nudge anyone.
"Some of our neighbours explain their lack of interest in joining forward-looking integration projects in the post-Soviet space by saying that these projects contradict their pro-European stance. I believe that this is a false choice. We do not intend to cut ourselves off, nor do we plan to stand in opposition to anyone. The Eurasian Union will be based on universal integration principles as an essential part of Greater Europe."
Vladimir Voloshin
