“Intergraceful” processes: everyone shout and go home

Lukashenka, Nazarbayev and Putin cannot agree on a single issue.

Heads of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan talked for about two hours before the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. Members of the delegations were ready to wait for them twice as longer (it seems they will have less work, but they will have even more in reality), journalist Andrei Kolesnikov writes for Kommersant.

Having entered the conference room, Lukashenka said to his colleagues rather cynically that Vladimir Putin, Nursultan Nazarbayev and he “unexpectedly discussed almost the whole agenda”.

“I am not hinting we don't need to discuss it again,” he added.

However, it sounded more like a statement rather than a hint.

It suddenly turned out that participants of the Customs Union are not very happy about the organisation.

“The number of waivers and restrictions in mutual trade has not only reduced, but grows,” the Belarusian ruler said. “We have many other problems.”

But the idea to form the Eurasian Economic Union on the basis of the Customs Union is close to their heart.

”It is not a interstate formation,” Lukashenka reminded his counterparts. “It is a joint government body that should make decisions every day.”

He studiously emphasises the difference apparently fearing they it may disappear one day and no one will remember that Belarus, as a member of the Eurasian Economic Unions, is an independence state with its own president.

“It's good that Armenia wants to join the Customs Union,” he noted. “On the other hand, Ukraine, which is close to us [but perhaps not a family member any more - Kommersant] wants to associate with the EU. We must think how not to deny Ukraine of the opportunity to participate in the Customs Union.”

Lukashenka was the first among the troika's leaders to say Ukraine could associate itself both with the EU and the Customs Union.

Maybe he just didn't think what he was saying.

“Your mic doesn't work,” Nursultan Nazarbayev suddenly shouted to Vladimir Putin in such a loud voice as if his own microphone didn't work either.

“Everything is working fine,” Lukashenka resented.

“I will speak louder,” Vladimir Putin said into the working microphone.

“It is not working,” Nursultan Nazarbayev insisted with his eyes blazing.

“It is controlled here, behind the wall!” Lukashenka insisted. “And it is working!”

“You see, they control everything in a torture chamber,” Putin made a pun ('behind the wall' sounds similar to 'torture chamber' in Russian).

“They don't control it. It is not working,” Nursultan Nazarbayev muttered stubbornly.

It's now clear why they talk for two hours and cannot agree on a single issue.

However, Vladimir Putin reached the microphone again and demonstrated his geopolitical ambitions. He said he had recently spoken to Manmohan Singh and the latter said India would like to sign a free trade agreement with the Customs Union.