CIS Lags Behind Life, Says Berezovsky

Several concepts of reforming the CIS have been lately put forward: Nazarbaev adheres the deep economic integration of CIS members country; Belarus’ President Aleksandr Lukashenka de facto stands for establishing a united state of the former Soviet states.

The third concept, seen by Berezovsky as the most radical, was represented by Ukraine at a sluggish forum on reforming the Commonwealth. Its point is in converting CIS into a consultative mechanism without any suprastate structures taking decisions obligatory for all.

As of today, Nazarbaev’s ideas have ended in fiasco with virtually no one supporting them at the last two CIS summits; nothing is heard about support of Lukashenka’s grand projects; the recent sessions of a reform forum in Minsk ended in nothing. However, judging on information from the former Soviet republics, the Ukrainian proposal of introducing a free trade zone within the Commonwealth has some chance. Moreover, after Kyrgyzstan entered the World Trade Organization, the idea of establishing the customs union that Russia is eager to apply first and foremost to Ukraine can be considered dead. Thus, Berezovsky’s reform ideas, containing nothing specific in themselves, can be regarded both as his own attempt to return to high policy-making and further evidence of the fact that CIS has turned into a club for post-Soviet presidents meetings and is doomed.