Belarus: foreign policy self-determination and the formation of a longterm strategy towards Russia

The study analyzes how relations between Russia and Belarus have been built since the independence of the Belarusian state in 1991. Various approaches to the study of transformations that have occurred and are taking place in the post-Soviet space analyze the complex and contradictory relationship of centrifugal and centripetal processes. The methodology used by the authors, based on a combination of comparative and factor analysis, allows us to analyze the «special case» of relations between Russia and Belarus, which, overcoming the contradictions and differences between them in understanding the meaning and goals of the integration process, gradually came to an agreement of positions on key issues of bilateral relations. The combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis allows the authors to assess not only the current state, but also the near future of Russian-Belarusian relations, taking into account the changes in world politics taking place before our eyes. As a result of the conducted research, the complex dynamics and dialectics of the relationship between two closely related states, which are Russia and Belarus, are revealed. The analysis of the foreign policy (and above all diplomatic) activity of Belarus and its priorities allows the authors to clarify and deepen their fi  conclusions on the topic they are considering. As a result, the authors come to the conclusion that the most promising variant of the foreign policy strategy for Russia and Belarus is the development of allied relations in the context of the participation of both countries in the construction of Greater Eurasia as a qualitatively new space of multilateral cooperation.

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2. National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus from statistical yearbook 2019, Minsk 2019, p. 1-439.

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