EURASIA INSIGHT
THE CIS IS LITTLE MORE THAN A POLITICAL DISCUSSION “CLUB” — PUTIN
EURASIA
Haroutiun Khachatrian 4/05/05
Amid the usual diplomatic exchanges during Russian President Vladimir
Putin’s recent visit to Armenia there was noteworthy nugget of
information: the Russian leader acknowledged publicly that the
Commonwealth of Independent States is not a viable organization for
the promotion of political and economic integration.
Putin paid an official visit to Armenia on March 24-25. Responding
to a reporter’s question about the CIS’s effectiveness as a working
international confederation, Putin declared that “if someone was
expecting some particular achievements from the CIS in, say, the
economy, in political or military cooperation and so on, it is clear
that this was not going to happen because it could not happen.”
The CIS’s task, Putin told a March 25 press conference in Yerevan,
was to “make the Soviet Union’s collapse as civilized and smooth
as possible.” In this, the Russian leader argued, the confederation
succeeded.
But, Putin stressed, other groupings of post-Soviet nations,
in particular the Eurasian Economic Community and the Common
Economic Space, are now in better position to foster free-trade and
intergration. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The
CIS itself, he noted, is “a very useful club for exchanging information
and discussing general problems.”
Putin’s remarks appear to be connected to the growing anti-Russian
stance assumed by three CIS countries ~@” Georgia and Ukraine, where
popular uprisings in November 2003 and December 2004, respectively,
swept away the post-Soviet political order, and Moldova, whose
pro-Western communist leader, President Vladimir Voronin, has turned
away from Moscow over the Trans-Dniester region. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Nonetheless, the Russian daily newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta’s March
29 characterization of Putin’s statement as “the funeral of the CIS”
seems extreme. By acknowledging the organization’s shortcomings, Putin
may be attempting to prevent the defection of discontent CIS members,
and arrest the steady erosion of Russia’s geopolitical position.
Putin’s statements in no way indicate a shift in Russia’s desire
to retain influence in the so-called “near abroad.” Putin and
Armenian President Robert Kocharian both emphasized the desirability
of increased Russian participation in the economy of the South
Caucasus. “What we are talking about here is a new quality of
cooperation that will have regional significance and scale, and
I am convinced that we have a lot of potential to draw on here,”
Kocharian said.
No major agreements emerged from the Yerevan summit, but multiple
economic issues are now shaping bilateral ties. Plans to build an
Iranian-Armenian natural gas pipeline have long been a source of
concern for the Kremlin. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. Russian energy heavyweight GazProm, which supplies Armenia
with all of its gas, recently expressed interest in taking part in
the project. On the Armenian side, strong objections exist to efforts
by another Russian energy player, United Energy Systems, to purchase
the country’s electricity distribution network.
Both Putin and Kocharian avoided energy issues during their
press-conference, focusing instead on Russian plans to ship goods
to Armenia via the Georgian port of Poti as an indication of one of
several areas, including banking, where there are “good prospects
for growth.”
Expectations also ran high in Yerevan that some agreement would be
reached for the reopening of those Armenian companies that passed
into Russian hands under a 2002 debt-for-equity deal, but no official
announcement was made of such a plan. [For additional information
see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Cultural ties could provide important reinforcement for any expanded
economic cooperation (the official reason for Putin’s Yerevan trip
was Armenia’s Year of Russia, a celebration of Russian culture). But,
even here, playing off regional rivalries remains part of Moscow’s
game. Armenia may be Russia’s main military ally in the South Caucasus,
and 2005 is the Year of Russia in Yerevan. Yet in Russia, it is the
Year of Azerbaijan.
Putin, during the news conference, spoke of a need to foster an
“atmosphere of confidence” throughout the Caucasus that would enhance
conflict resolution prospects. [For additional information see the
Eurasia Insight archive]. Putin added that his talks with Kocharian
touched on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. “Everybody is looking
forward to the continuation of direct contacts between the presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the Russian president said.
Editor’s Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is a Yerevan-based writer
specializing in economic and political affairs.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress