A ROAD MAP FOR THE UNRECOGNIZED ONES;

WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
June 30, 2008 Monday
Russia

The Foreign Ministry needs to master modern technologies for resolving
of international conflicts
It Is Impossible To Resolve The Frozen Conflicts On The Territory
OF THE CIS BY OLD METHODS; Participants of the European Union-Russia
summit that opens today in Khanty-Mansiysk will discuss the situation
in all former hot spots on the territory of the CIS in Abkhazia,
South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Trans-Dniester Republic. The
initiative of the hearings belongs to Brussels and is explained by
the attitude of the European Union to the frozen conflicts in the
post-Soviet space. The European Union was not an outside observer
of what was happening to the unrecognized republics in the CIS even
in the past but grew noticeably more active in this area after the
events in Kosovo. Today, the matter is about changing all formats of
negotiations on resolving conflicts and peacekeeping formats in favor
of European intermediaries. Moreover so that in each of the certain
cases, one of the parties of the conflict requests Europe about this
and it turns out that the second party already does not object.

Participants of the European Union-Russia summit that opens today in
Khanty-Mansiysk will discuss the situation in all former hot spots on
the territory of the CIS in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh
and Trans-Dniester Republic. The initiative of the hearings belongs
to Brussels and is explained by the attitude of the European Union
to the frozen conflicts in the post-Soviet space. The European Union
was not an outside observer of what was happening to the unrecognized
republics in the CIS even in the past but grew noticeably more active
in this area after the events in Kosovo. Today, the matter is about
changing all formats of negotiations on resolving conflicts and
peacekeeping formats in favor of European intermediaries. Moreover so
that in each of the certain cases, one of the parties of the conflict
requests Europe about this and it turns out that the second party
already does not object.

Moldova was the first to turn to Brussels with a request about
internationalization of the conflict. This was almost ten years
ago but only in 2005 did the European Union become the official
fourth intermediary in negotiations between Chisinau and Tiraspol
and the US became the fifth. To date, Russia was the main guarantor
and intermediary in the Trans-Dniester regulation after the Russian
peacekeepers stopped the war on the Dniester River in 1992. A lot of
time passed since then, the situation changed and a new agreement
determining the functional duties of the peacekeepers was needed
because the task set for them in the past was fulfilled. However, there
was no such agreement. The negotiation process staled and observers
started accusing Russia of lobbying the interests of one of the parties
of the conflict, namely the Trans-Dniester Republic. Such accusations
addressed to Moscow sound from Tbilisi now. Georgia accuses the
Russian peacekeepers saying that in the conflicts in South Caucasus,
they support the Abkhaz and the South Ossetian parties. According
to the example of Moldova, Georgia also insists on the inclusion of
the European Union into the format of negotiations. Tbilisi is also
struggling for the insertion of "alternative" peacekeepers into the
security zones in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. At any rate, this is
already the second stage of internationalization of conflicts. It
has not started even in Moldova yet.

However, the experience of intermediary interaction of Russia and
European Union was successful there. Before the beginning of the summit
in Khanty-Mansiysk, President of Moldova Vladimir Voronin pointed at
this in a conversation with Javier Solana, high representative of the
European Union for security. Voronin also praised the activeness of
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in this process. It is unknown if
the combined efforts of Russia and European Union will be crowned
with quick victories in the Trans-Dniester conflict. Another thing
is interesting. The second party of the conflict, the Trans-Dniester
Republic, does not object to European mediation for the first time
in many years of the conflict. The same situation is registered in
other conflict zones too.

The main positive aspect is the fact that inclusion of the
European Union into the negotiation processes brings them out of
stagnation. Along with this, Russia is losing the leading positions in
the space of traditional Russian influence including the peacekeeping
positions. To retain them it is necessary to offer certain programs for
getting out of stalemate situations to the parties of the conflicts,
a kind of "road map." Russia needs to master modern technologies for
solving difficult international problems. It is the technology that
provides the most accurate description of the process and answers the
questions of how and when. In the last decade, the entire foreign
policy technology was actually confined to the use of Russian
presidents on the highest level. Sometimes this provides a result
and sometimes it does not.

Another factor is the most important. Already at the stage of
composition, "road maps" register the national and strategic
interests of the parties of the conflict. The task of diplomats is
made much easier after this registration. It becomes specifically
professional. It is not necessary to lay poetical problems on the
Foreign Ministry. Other people should do politics including those
who can afford non-diplomatic language.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress