Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Eurasian Economic Union format in question amid situation in Ukraine
The first Eurasian Economic Forum, to be held in Bishkek on May 26, will be attended by delegates from 15 nations, including members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The following day, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will attend a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. The remaining integration association leaders will connect via video streams. According to experts interviewed by Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the activities of the association may be jeopardized as a result of Western sanctions imposed on Russia following its special operation in Ukraine.
Around 2,500 participants from EAEU countries, as well as states interested in deepening ties with the organization — China, Vietnam, other Asian nations, and Latin America - will attend the meeting. Several African and European countries also expressed interest in the meeting.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's president arrived in Bishkek on an official visit. He will attend a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on May 27. The remaining heads of state canceled their trips at the last minute.
"The situation is not easy. It was expected that the summit after the pandemic would be held in the usual format, but the Ukrainian conflict and following Western sanctions against Russia significantly shook thing up. There are also concerns regarding future plans. We can see that the EAEU's allies and Russia's partners are more concerned about Western sanctions than they are about losing profits from collaboration with Russia," Senior Researcher Section for Central Asia Staff Member Center for post-Soviet Studies at IMEMO Stanislav Pritchin told the newspaper.
For example, by 2025, the members of the EAEU must harmonize their legislation in the area of the financial markets. However, the EAEU countries are already under pressure with regards to the financial system, the newspaper writes.
Leaving the integration association has become relevant in a number of EAEU countries. According to Pritchin, the idea is mostly discussed in Kazakhstan. However, in terms of legally binding papers, it is difficult to envisage what Kazakhstan's withdrawal from the EAEU would imply. This, according to the expert, would be a significant hit to the country's economy.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Global community seeks to revive Ukraine’s grain exports
Kiev is looking for a solution to the problem of grain exports, which have become impossible due to Russia's blockade of Ukrainian ports. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba expressed reservations about NATO's ability to "open" the Black Sea for export grain transit on Wednesday in Davos. On the same day, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi advocated for the rapid establishment of "green corridors" for the export of grain from Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has stated that Moscow is prepared to offer a humanitarian corridor for ships to leave, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.
In recent weeks, the problem of guaranteeing grain exports from Ukraine has been extensively debated on a number of international platforms. According to UK intelligence, proposed overland export channels will not compensate for a shortage of transit capacity. China's top diplomat also emphasized Beijing's willingness to maintain contact with all parties over grain exports.
"From the start of the military conflict, China has called for a quick resolution to the conflict. Beijing has typically stood for everything good while opposing everything bad - a win-win position. They also support Ukraine resuming grain exports. Actually, Russia does not oppose it either," Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics Vasily Kashin told the newspaper. He noted that Moscow claims that grain exports from Ukraine are impossible by sea because the Ukrainian side mined the waters near the ports and blocked several ships. Thus, resuming grain exports from Ukraine by sea necessitates ironing out two problems.
Solving the problem with the renewal of grain exports from Ukraine is primarily important from a humanitarian point of view, Chief Economist at PF Capital Evgeny Nadorshin explained to Nezavisimaya Gazeta. According to him, poor countries are the first to suffer in such scenarios. When wealthier states scoop up raw materials from markets, the poor countries of Africa, Latin America, and Asia take notice - and food shortages and famine may worsen there, Nadorshin said.
Kommersant: Sweden, Finland eager to talk Turkey into okaying their entry to NATO
Sweden and Finland sent senior delegations to Ankara on Wednesday in an attempt to persuade Turkey to remove its objections to their NATO membership bid. The talks lasted more than five hours, but the parties were unable to resolve all of the issues at once. Turkey requests that Sweden and Finland cease their assistance to Kurdish organizations and it also insists on lifting EU restrictions on arms exports and US sanctions on the Russian-supplied S-400 systems. According to Kommersant, some positions might have been brought closer on a variety of issues.
Following yesterday's talks, Turkish Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin stated that the Swedish and Finnish delegations were informed of the country's unwavering position that their accession to NATO is out of the question unless Turkey's concerns are addressed. At the same time, the countries' positions on arms supplies to Turkey became more closely aligned. According to their statements, the guests, on the other hand, were generally pleased with the consultations and intend to continue them, Kommersant writes.
According to the newspaper, the willingness of the US to meet Turkey halfway for the sake of NATO expansion may be put to the test in the near future. This week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara plans to complete work on constructing a 30-kilometer security zone along its southern boundaries, which means Turkey's border with Syria and Iraq. The US State Department expressed concern over the plans of the Turkish president.
At the same time, other Turkish experts feel that Ankara's talks about expanding the security zone are mostly motivated by domestic reasons, such as the forthcoming presidential and legislative elections, as well as Erdogan's declining ratings. Turkey can also take advantage of the fact that it is unprofitable for Russia to be at odds with it in the midst of the Ukraine conflict, and the US and EU are interested in lifting Turkey's veto on Sweden and Finland joining NATO.
Vedomosti: Putin eases path to Russian citizenship for residents of two Ukrainian regions
Residents of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions of Ukraine will be able to apply for Russian citizenship in a simplified manner - without first obtaining a residence permit or a temporary residence permit. The corresponding decree was signed by the President of Russia. The decision, according to experts interviewed by Vedomosti, is intended to ensure regions' ability to cooperate with Russia.
The decree, according to political scientist Konstantin Kalachev, can "equalize the rights of the inhabitants of these regions with the Russians", give them social guarantees and security guarantees, show that it is possible to live "at the level of Russian standards." This, in his opinion, is an effective lever that "will help win people over to their side."
Dmitry Zhuravlev, director of the Institute for Regional Problems, believes that the decree will "facilitate communication" between these territories and Russia. He told Vedomosti. Also, the expert told the newspaper that residents of these territories will be able to move to Russia more easily if they want to.
Director of the Agency for Political and Economic Communications Dmitry Orlov called the introduction of a simplified procedure for obtaining Russian passports "predictable". "The decree corresponds to the logic of the decisions made regarding the DPR and LPR, and earlier Abkhazia [and South Ossetia], based on the cultural and linguistic identity of the population," he told Vedomosti.
Vedomosti: Russia may ban licenses to foreign subsoil users
The Russian government intends to block foreign companies’ access to the development of mineral resources in the country, according to the current list of priorities for the economy’s development amid the ongoing sanctions, Vedomosti writes. The corresponding bill should be hammered out by June 15, 2022. A federal official and a Vedomosti source close to the Ministry of Natural Resources verified the existence of such amendments.
The Ministry of Natural Resources representative stated that "potential measures to support subsoil users in the new economic realities are being weighed," but that it is too early to discuss specific details.
According to a Vedomosti source, the legal amendments being discussed today will protect new projects from any exit by foreign investors due to sanctions pressure.
The presence of foreign partners is most relevant in oil production, expert on the stock market at BCS World of Investments Evgeny Mironyuk believes. "Russia's problem of depletion of traditional oil sources is significant, and at the same time the industry is facing diminishing investments due to a high tax burden and the need to refinance debt," he explained.
Foreign companies are already participating in large auctions together with Russian ones, while small deposits do not interest foreigners, Sergey Grishunin, managing director of the NRA rating service told the newspaper. Partnerships with state-owned enterprises such as Rostec, he says, will be beneficial for companies from friendly nations or those willing to deliver technology that are in limited supply in Russia. Foreign companies are already participating in large auctions together with Russian ones, while small deposits do not interest foreigners, managing director of the NRA rating service Sergey Grishunin told the newspaper. Partnerships with state-owned enterprises such as Rostec, he says, will be beneficial for companies from friendly nations or those willing to deliver technology that are in limited supply in Russia.
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