30 Mar 2013 18:33

Russia should organize "union of Eurasian states" - member of United Russia top brass

ST. PETERSBURG. March 30 (Interfax) - One of the leaders of the ruling United Russia party insisted on Saturday that Russia come up with an initiative for "a political union of Eurasian states" and argued that this would make Russia "one of the world leaders."

"Russia can and must put forward such a strategic, systemic Eurasian project. It is the duty of Russia to position itself as one of the world leaders in building global systemic spaces," Yury Shuvalov, a member of United Russia's governing body and the chief public relations and press officer of the State Duma, told a conference in St. Petersburg entitled "Eurasian Integration As a Road to a Eurasian Union."

"This does not mean encouraging any great-power ambitions," he said. "The reason for such positioning on the part of Russia is its historical experience, which has made it possible to build a multireligious and multiethnic civilization."

"In order to preserve Russia, its global role must become the core of a state construction strategy," Shuvalov said.

"A political union of Eurasian states would be a system-building environment that would be the basis for making the best use of the political, administrative and economic potential of the union, including for withstanding pressures from any destructive processes or forces," he said.

"The geographic position of Russia and its resources would make it possible not only to create the main part of the economic infrastructure of Eurasia - its transportation arteries and energy basis - but also to largely solve problems of food security of the Eurasian continent," Shuvalov said.