Abstract

ALI AVCU, Seyit. Small States and Economic Integrations: Eurasian Customs Union and Kyrgyzstan. Relac. int. [online]. 2016, vol.25, n.51, pp.101-112. ISSN 2314-2766.

What does influence a small state its decision to join an economic integration process? The last fifteen years re-unification and integration efforts in the territory of the former Soviet Union finally yielded results with Russia's reassertion putting an end to its isolation. In Eastern Europe the Eurasian Economic Union has become an alternative to the European Union and a center of gravity. Eurasian Economic Union expansion efforts in Eastern Europe have started to clash with the European Union's enlargement policy. For many Central Asian countries, the Eurasian Economic Union has also emerged as an alternative. This article analyzes the possible positive and negative effects of Kyrgyzstan's accession to the Eurasian Customs Union. As positive results, trade with the Eurasian Customs Union countries and customs revenues will increase, border security will be ensured, investment and the labor remittances will increase. Among negative effects are the unemployment and the rise in prices of the consumer goods, due to the loss of Kyrgyzstan's re-exporter character. The thesis of this paper is that Kyrgyzstan decided to join the Eurasian Customs Union because its dependence on Russia, its security concerns, its fear of China, and because of the continuation of Russia's cultural hegemony. Despite the negative economic consequences, Kyrgyzstan's participation in the Eurasian Customs Union is conceived as a political decision due to the absence of other alternatives.

Keywords : Small States; Eurasian Economic Union; Economic Integration; Kyrgyzstan.

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