HEYDAR JEMAL: KREMLIN DIRECTLY SUPPORTS UNRECOGNIZED REGIME OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 23, 2008 Wednesday

AN INTERVIEW WITH RUSSIAN ISLAMIC COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN HEYDAR JEMAL;
An interview with Russian Islamic Committee Chairman Heydar Jemal.

Question: The Kremlin ordered the establishment of official relations
with the de facto authorities of the self-proclaimed republics of
South Ossetia and Abkhazia. What do you think Moscow is after?

Heydar Jemal: Russia lacks a considerate and well-balanced policy, you
know. Actions of the Russian authorities are impulsive. Decision-makers
in Russia promote their own interests, ones that have little to do
with national interests. In fact, they are even prepared to give Russia
bad publicity, internationally speaking, if and when it suits them.

All of that compromises the Kremlin in the eyes of the international
community. It is part of a campaign aimed to displace the people in
charge nowadays and oust them for replacement with these very selfish
men. This faction is powerful enough to promote this or that action
in support of Abkhazia and South Ossetia that will collide with the
Kremlin’s previous agreements with Washington and Tbilisi.

It follows that the Russian authorities lack unity, and this lack of
unity in its turn makes their actions erratic and impulsive. Impossible
to predict, actually.

Question: How far do you think Moscow may go in its "games" with
non-recognized post-Soviet formations?

Heydar Jemal: Moscow may actually recognize the separatist
regimes. Infighting in the upper echelons of state power in Moscow
makes it quite possible. Promoting their own interests, these claims
may well drag the Kremlin into an armed confrontation with Georgia.

Question: Analysts claim that Moscow is doing all of that to prevent
Georgia from becoming a NATO member…

Heydar Jemal: This explanation is expected to work with a certain
part of the political establishment, experts, and so on. It is clear
after all that an armed confrontation with Georgia will put Russia in
a thoroughly bad light. From the foreign political standpoint, that
is. As for Georgia’s membership in the Alliance, it will certainly
result in the appearance of NATO and US troops on the Russian borders.

Question: It is common knowledge that Russian-Azerbaijani relations
leave much to be desired at this point. Like Georgia, Azerbaijan has a
territorial problem, that of Nagorno-Karabakh. Do you think the Kremlin
will be able one fine day to apply the Georgian scenario to Baku?

Heydar Jemal: Russia supports Armenia in this conflict. Armenia has
Russia’s political and military support. The faction of the so called
siloviki in the Kremlin is out to retain its positions. The worse
the situation on the borders of Russia, the more secure this faction…

The Kremlin assists the Nagorno-Karabakh regime. It’s just that it
does not recognize it officially.