The Country Dimension of Eurasian Integration in the CIS Space

Abstract

The article describes the integration processes that developed in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the 2000s, which culminated in the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The purpose of the article is to determine the main directions of the EAEU development through the prism of country preferences of the participants of this integration association: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The specifics of the involvement of these countries in the Eurasian integration processes in the CIS help to understand better the scale of the EAEU’s activities, its specifics, which is important for determining both the prospects for the development of the EAEU and the country dimension of Eurasian integration. The formation of the EAEU was preceded by the formation of the Customs Union (CU) and the Common Economic Space (CES), which generally corresponded to the algorithm that was present in world practice when creating large integration associations. The locomotives of the Eurasian integration process were initially Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, which demonstrated the highest level of economic and political interaction in the CIS. In conclusion, the main prospects for the country development of the EAEU and Eurasian integration in general are shown. The EAEU promises certain benefits to the states that are part of such an association. In addition, there is a certain political context here – as a result of closer integration, the EAEU states will become less susceptible to crises and the emergence of conflict situations. Like any integration association, the EAEU faces many problems and challenges, both external and internal. It is not always possible to overcome them completely, but the countries-members of the Union are making significant efforts to this, which in the future should give positive results in strengthening this integration project in Eurasia.