Minsk’s Bold New Vision: To ‘Integrate Integrations’

As Minsk hosts the Eurasian Economic Forum and a summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) leaders, Belarus has unveiled an ambitious foreign policy initiative. Deputy Prime Minister Natalya Petkevich introduced a forward-thinking concept of an “integration of integrations,” signaling a desire to seek compromises and build cooperation with other international alliances beyond the traditional post-Soviet space.

The high-profile events, attended by over 2,700 participants from 33 countries, served as a platform to celebrate the EAEU’s achievements over the past decade. Belarusian Prime Minister Alexander Turchin highlighted remarkable economic growth, noting that Belarus’s exports to EAEU countries have surged by more than 2.5 times since 2015, while its industrial output has increased by nearly 20%. Turchin emphasized that achieving full technological independence remains a strategic goal for the union.

Despite the focus on macro-economics, a moment of domestic reality emerged when President Alexander Lukashenko, a key architect of Eurasian integration, addressed a recent potato shortage. During a public ceremony, he advised citizens with garden plots to grow their own potatoes to avoid store shortages in the spring, a candid remark that contrasted with the summit’s high-level geopolitical discussions.

Driving the new outward-looking strategy is Deputy Prime Minister Petkevich, who chairs the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission. She argued that Belarus has always been at the forefront of integration and that connecting the EAEU with third countries and other blocs is a positive trend. “The success of this initiative will depend on the ability to overcome contradictions and find common interests that would create a truly effective platform for cooperation,” she stated.

Interestingly, this push for Eurasian expansion is complemented by a parallel diplomatic track. Petkevich’s husband, Valentin Rybakov, serves as Belarus’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and is a key figure in the country’s engagement with the West. His prominent role in discussions with U.S. officials suggests a nuanced, dual-vector foreign policy, with Minsk simultaneously strengthening its eastern ties while exploring dialogue with the West.

President Lukashenko echoed the sentiment of seeking new global partnerships during a meeting with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez. “Today, the world is going through a period of powerful turbulence. And while the old international structures are stalling, the new ones do not yet have enough resources to resolve crises,” Lukashenko said, positioning the EAEU as part of a collective effort to forge more effective solutions for global stability.