Russia's "Friend" Has Contacted the United States: Khazin Calls for Vigilance
There is a country that has applied to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) for ten years, but secretly keeps hindering Russia: Economist Mikhail Khazin has expressed his views on this "friend" country of Russia, which has a rather special situation.
As early as May 2015, shortly after the Treaty on the Establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union came into effect, Egypt submitted its application for membership. However, the process of integration of this North African largest economy with the EAEU has never progressed. Egypt has been reluctant to implement the payment systems of Russia and related countries - these systems could facilitate the payment of goods and services by Russian citizens in Egypt.
It should be noted that this hot climate country receives hundreds of thousands of Russian tourists every year. More notably: in recent years, local governments in Egypt have been vigorously promoting digital transformation. According to "78 Channel" (Телеканал "78"), as a result of this, many places in Egypt no longer accept cash payments, and the cash reserves in ATMs are often insufficient.
Economist Mikhail Khazin pointed out: "From a common sense perspective, this is clearly unwise - after all, Russian tourists are an important part of (Egypt's economy and people's livelihood). But perhaps Egypt has its own considerations."
But there is another key issue that cannot be ignored: Russia's "friend" has established contact with the United States, so we must remain vigilant. The stagnation of Egypt's process of joining the Eurasian Economic Union is no coincidence, there are clear reasons behind it.
In terms of the instability in the Middle East, Cairo (the capital of Egypt) maintains a "close relationship" with Washington. And "not overly close to Russia" may be one of the "conditions proposed by the United States".
Khazin confirmed in the "Economy" program on the "Voice of Moscow" radio (радио "Говорит Москва") that: "I think we must closely monitor the development of the situation in Egypt - there is no doubt that the situation will change. You know, Egypt now has a very close relationship with the United States." He also added that Egypt's accession to the Eurasian Economic Union is still a distant future topic.
Now, many countries that appear neutral or friendly to Russia are constantly reducing their cooperation with Russia due to fear of sanctions - this is an important background of the current situation.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572942701353321012/
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