Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part B (Russia)
July 20, 2005, Wednesday

NIKOLAI BORDYUZHA: WE WILL NOT INTERVENE IN COLOR REVOLUTIONS

SOURCE: Vremya Novostei, July 20, 2005, p. 4

by Nikolai Poroskov

The sixth meeting with regional and intergovernmental organizations
will be held at the UN headquarters in New York next week. The topic
of the summit will concern partnership between the United Nations and
regional organizations in the interests of global security. Delegates
will analyze new threats to global development. Nikolai Bordyuzha,
secretary-general of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), will attend this summit for the second time. He answered our
questions on the eve of his departure for the United States.

Question: To all appearances, the discussion will concern the demand
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for US military bases
to be withdrawn from Central Asia. What do you think about this
demand? How will this affect the performance of the anti-terrorist
coalition?

Nikolai Bordyuzha: I’m not over-dramatizing the situation. The
positive development of the situation in Afghanistan testifies to
certain stabilization, which is why the SCO member nations seek to
determine the timing of the presence of foreign military contingents,
including in the post-Soviet republics. They do not demand that the
US withdraw its bases immediately.

I understand the US reaction. The timing of the presence of their
bases was determined on a bilateral basis. This is why I don’t
understand experts, who complain that the US does not want to reply
to the SCO. The US must solve this problem with the countries which
let the US deploy its contingents. This issue should be discussed in
a bilateral format.

Question: It is very likely that the initiators of this demand,
especially Islam Karimov, fear the prospect of more color
revolutions, which are allegedly instigated by the US.

Nikolai Bordyuzha: I did not attend the SCO summit and I cannot
comment. In my opinion, such a theory is realistic.

Question: When will the third group of CSTO forces be deployed in the
Central Asian region (the Russian-Belarusian and Russian-Armenian
groups already exist)?

Nikolai Bordyuzha: According to the CSTO military development plans,
we intend to create such group with Tajikistan, Kyrgyzsan and
Kazakhstan. The collective rapid response force operating in Central
Asia will become one of the elements of this group. The new group
will be created within the next few years. The plan is designed to
last until 2010. I think this is a reasonable decision.

Question: What is the progress on creating joint systems for the CSTO
– intelligence, communications, air defense?

Nikolai Bordyuzha: The CSTO presidents have already made a decision
regarding air defense. Member nations of the Organization will create
an integrated air defense system. We continue negotiations over the
creation of other structures. I think it will take five years to
create joint intelligence and communication structures. We plan to
create these structures on the basis of the collective rapid response
force.

Question: Has the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border changed since
control of this sector was passed over to Tajik troops?

Nikolai Bordyuzha: I think Russia should have handed over control to
Tajikistan long ago. However, Russian border guards have not left
this region. We have changed the security system, which is based on
cooperation between Russian and Tajik servicemen. Tajik units cope
with their tasks in cooperation with Russian troopers. They are
controlled by General Saidomir Zakhurov – he is an experienced
military leader.

Question: You proposed cooperation to NATO a year ago. I heard that
NATO’s reaction was not very enthusiastic.

Nikolai Bordyuzha: The situation changed after the NATO
secretary-general visited Moscow and met with President Putin. We
received an answer to our proposals.

Question: In which sectors is cooperation with NATO most promising?

Nikolai Bordyuzha: This concerns drug trafficking from Afghanistan
and cooperation in emergency situations.

Question: Is it true that NATO counters integration within the
framework of the CSTO?

Nikolai Bordyuzha: I wouldn’t say that NATO counters these processes.
We feel that some forces oppose the development of the CSTO. For
instance, the US seeks to convince Central Asian republics to create
some other organization in charge of security in the region. The US
states that the CSTO and the SCO are not efficient structures.
Sometimes we feel strong opposition to contacts with the SCO.

Question: Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Geopolitical Academy,
recently said that NATO will force out Russian bases from Georgia and
Armenia. NATO seeks to establish its own bases in these republics.
Are such prospects realistic?

Nikolai Bordyuzha: There are no reasons to think that Armenia will
change its attitude to the CSTO. Armenia is an active member of our
organization. This country cooperates with NATO and the US very
actively. However, its security depends on the CSTO. The defense
minister and the president have repeatedly emphasized this.

Question: The CSTO did not react to the color revolutions in
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. However, these revolutions posed a threat
to the security of these countries. What will the CSTO do in case of
other upheavals?

Nikolai Bordyuzha: I wouldn’t link the CSTO with color revolutions.
The CSTO was created for repulsing foreign and terrorist external
threats.

Color revolutions are the consequence of political rivalry within
these republics. I think that the CSTO must not intervene in such
conflicts. Of course, we are concerned about the situation in
neighboring republics. The CSTO will contribute to stability in the
region. But we are not prepared to use force in such situations. We
have never considered such a possibility. We are prepared to use the
colossal political potential of the republican leaders and the
national elite in order to prevent disorders.

Question: You proposed to established partnership with the OSCE in
anti-drug efforts in May. What is the progress on this proposal?

Nikolai Bordyuzha: Several nations, which are not members of the CSTO
were involved in the Channel anti-drug operation – Azerbaijan,
Uzbekistan and Iran. We want China to participate in such operations.
We are also prepared to cooperate with the Baltic States, Ukraine and
Poland in countering drug trafficking to Europe.

Translated by Alexander Dubovoi