AZG Armenian Daily #073, 23/04/2005

Region

SAAKASHVILI TALKS OF WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES FROM GEORGIA

Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgian President, stated at the congress of the GUUAM
regional organization that Tbilisi and Kishinev should demand the withdrawal
of the Russian military stations from their countries.

“We have stopped being a part of the empire long ago. The forces of other
states can be located in the territory of other states only if the people of
those countries agree. I state that the people of Georgia are against the
military presence of Russia in our country,” Interfax cited the words of
Saakashvili.

The Russian military base 62 is located mainly in Akhalqalaki that is
inhabited by Armenians. While the 12th base is in Batumi. A part of Russian
forces is in Transdniestria that was separated from Moldova in the 90s after
an armed conflict. Recently Saakashvili didn’t exclude that the Russian
forces can be withdrawn from Georgia already in 2005.

Saakashvili voiced an opinion that “the member-states of the organization
should head for the US and EU,” as well as deepen the democratic processes
and make economic reforms.

Vladimir Woronin, President of Moldova, also expressed the hope that the
organization will more actively cooperate with the US and Europe.

The GUUAM was established in 1997. When the pro-western authorities came to
power in Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova during the last few years, the
activities of the organization became more actual.

Obviously, the creation of the GUUAM within the framework of the CE aimed to
set it off against the CIS. When in Yerevan Russian President Vladimir Putin
called this organization “a useful club” that was established for “a
civilized divorce,” the presidents of the GUUAM member-states as well as the
West began strengthening the organization and increasing the efficiency of
its activities in the region.

This time the presidents of other, non-member states also participated at
the GUUAM Congress. Thus, the presidents of Lithuania and Romania arrived in
Kishinev. Steven Mann, special representative of the US State Department on
Eurasian Issues, and Jan Kubish, the OSCE Secretary General, were present at
GUUAM congress as well. Ilham Karimov, President of Uzbekistan, didn’t
arrive in Kishinev, while Ilham Aliyev paid an official visit to Moldova.

The membership of Uzbekistan in GUUAM is rather symbolic. Ilham Karimov is
more concerned about keeping his power than about cooperating with such
organizations, the member-sates of which faced “colorful revolutions”.

The warm relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, observed during the last
years, keeps Ilham Aliyev away from GUUAM, in some respect. Thus, if
Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova openly speak of integrating into Europe,
Azerbaijan doesn’t consider GUUAM an opponent for the CIS.

New programs aimed to activization of the organization’s activities will be
represented at the Kishinev Congress. In particular, Givi Targamadze,
chairman of Defence and Security Committee at the Georgian parliament,
stated recently that the armed forces of the GUUAM member states can soon
replace the Russian peacekeepers in the conflict areas. It’s worth reminding
that the Russian peacekeepers are located in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict
territory, as well.

Although Moscow pretends that the activization of GUUAM doesn’t bother them,
it’s obvious that Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, three leading states of this
pro-Western organization, continue their efforts directed to weakening the
political, economic and military influence of Russia in their countries.

By Tatoul Hakobian