ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to consult a variety of sources that present the official position of the Belarusian authorities, non-official assessments from Belarus and the EU's approach to Belarus-related issues of migration and regional stability. The level of Russian-Belarusian cooperation increased when the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan came into force in mid-2010 and after the declaration announcing the creation of the Common Economic Space. Belarus is a borderland country and as such its geopolitical orientations are crucial in practice: they influence the foreign policy of the state and contribute to the situation of regional security and stability. According to official Belarusian migration statistics, immigration exceeds outmigration: net migration with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries has been positive since the turn of the millennium and that with non-CIS countries slightly positive since 2008. Indeed, the educational level and professional qualification of migrants moving to Russia are higher than the average levels of Belarus's working population and immigrants.
