RUSSIAN POLITICAL ANALYSTS SAYS KREMLIN MUST DIVERSIFY ITS SOUTH CAUCASIAN POLICY
ARMENPRESS
May 25 2007
YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS: A Russian political analyst Sergey
Markedonov blamed today the Kremlin for failing to conduct a
diversified policy in regard to three South Caucasian nations. Speaking
to a conference in Yerevan titled ‘The Caucasus-2006" Sergey Markedonov
said Russia should display more realism in its relationships with
these nations.
To substantiate he cited the examples of Georgia and Armenia. "Russia
can not act as successfully in Georgia as it does in Armenia, but it
can not ignore its relationships with Georgia at all," he said.
According to Markedonov, the Kremlin has to give up the methods that
were used under the Soviets because ‘national elites in the South
Caucasus do not perceive these methods any longer."
In a reference to Russian-Armenian relations he said they spoiled
last year after Russia moved to raise the price of natural gas it
ships to Armenia, which prompted Armenian media to go as far as to
dub Russia as ‘a traitor."
According to Markedonov, another reason that accounts for cooled
Russian-Armenian relations are manifestations of xenophobia in Russia
that hit also Armenians living there.
"Unlike in Armenia where a murder of an ethnic Armenian in Russia
becomes an issue of a national scale, in Russia it goes actually
unnoticed,’ he said.