OFFICIAL KYEV DAMAGED OWN POSITIONS BY TAKING BAKU’S SIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2006 18:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During 15 years Ukraine kept trying to maintain
peacekeeping distance to all the conflicting sides in the post
soviet space, said Yevgeny Sharov, the head of the department of
integration and strategic partnership at the Institute of National
Studies. "As for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Ukraine has never
taken either Armenian or Azerbaijani side and this position was
adequately perceived by Baku and Yerevan. However during the visit
of the Ukrainian leader to Azerbaijan Ukraine has taken the stand of
one of the sides and used rather strict rhetoric. With all respect
to Azerbaijan and Azeri people, official Kyev has certainly damaged
its position of an impartial peacekeeping side," the expert said.

In his opinion, the cardinal change of position did not yield dividends
to Ukraine. "Moreover, I do not rule out that the attitude of the
Armenian Diaspora to Ukraine has strained. The Armenian community is
strong in Europe as well and the adoption of the Armenian Genocide
bill by the French parliament is an evidence of this influence,"
Sharov said.

As for the GUAM peacekeeping party, the expert considers that Ukrainian
peacekeepers become a side in the conflict. "During recent 14 years
Ukraine was guided by a good formula: we can take part in peacekeeping
operations under the aegis of the UN or OSCE. GUAM is a geopolitical
project of the U.S. targeted against Russia. Thus the so-called GUAM
peacekeeping forces challenge not only one conflicting side but Russia
first of all," Sharov said, reports From-UA.