OREANDA-NEWS. January 12, 2011. For Belarus, the year of 2010 was challenging yet successful, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Anatoly Rubinov told media on 12 January.

According to the Speaker, 2010 became a watershed in the history of the country. Despite all the difficulties, the country came out of the crisis strong enough, with fewer losses as compared with the other states. The previous year was also the last in a regular five-year period of the country’s development: the state was able to reach almost all the goals in the most difficult conditions.

In addition, the relations with Russia, which previously tried to pressurize Belarus including economically, got through some turnaround point. According to Anatoly Rubinov, both countries have already passed some kind of a crisis point - the point of no-return to those relations when thoughtless pressure was possible. Russia realized that it could lose Belarus.

The chairman of the Council of the Republic also said that in 2010 Belarus joined the Customs Union, and got involved in the development of the single economic space, which opens up new opportunities. Last year witnessed such a big event as the Fourth All-Belarus People’s Congress. But, the biggest event was the presidential election which was not simply the election of the president but the choice between the Belarusian model which has already proved effective and an adventure.

In general, according to Anatoly Rubinov, last year Belarus definitively proved its viability and the right to be an independent state.