AZERI EXPERTS COMMENT ON RUSSIA’S PLANS TO RECOGNIZE ABKHAZIA, S OSSETIA
Turan news agency
Aug 25 2008
Azerbaijan
Baku, 25 August: The decision to recognize the independence of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which the Federation Council [upper house
of Russian parliament] has adopted and the State Duma [lower house
of Russian parliament] is going to consider, is not resolute and
is a recommendation, the head of the public forum For Azerbaijan,
Eldar Namazov, has told Turan commenting on today’s decision of the
Federation Council.
The Russian Federation’s ruling elite is "resolute" and is most likely
to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Namazov said. However, this
step will affect the whole region as well as the relationship between
the West and Russia. This may speed up the resolution of long-standing
problems in the region and change the whole geopolitical configuration
in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions, the political analyst said.
Asked about the result of the West-Russia standoff, Namazov said that
the West had already precisely defined its positions. In the future,
much will depend on Moscow’s steps, however, it will be a "lengthy"
process. Asked whether Armenia would recognize Nagornyy Karabakh,
Namazov said that "this could be a thoughtless step". He believes
that Armenian officials can make statements to that end but specific
decisions will hardly be taken.
In the meantime, the former Azerbaijani envoy in Moscow, Hikmat
Hacizada, described the developments as "very alarming". Unfortunately,
hysteria is continuing in Russian society. Such steps may lead to a
full confrontation between the West and Russia, Hacizada said. At the
same time, he thinks that Russia will delay the recognition of Abkhazia
and South Ossetia, giving Georgia time to reject NATO membership. "If
Tbilisi goes along the path of NATO integration to the end, then Moscow
will finally recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Hacizada said.