RUSSIA’S INFLUENCE AS MEDIATOR IN SOUTH CAUCASUS NOT LIMITLESS: SABINE FREIZER

Tert.am
13:36 ~U 15.01.10

Although Russia has the greatest potential for reaching an agreement
between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, its mediator
possibilities are not unlimited, said Europe Program Director at
International Crisis Group, Sabine Freizer, reports Azerbaijani news
agency Trend News today.

"Russia’s ability to actually push through an agreement is perhaps
the strongest among all international players, but remains limited,"
Sabine Freizer told Trend News in a phone conversation. "It is only
when the two countries and the two societies are ready to accept
these basic principles that there will be an agreement."

According to Freizer, it is highly encouraging that Turkey wants to
bring stability and peace to the South Caucasus and it is trying
to help resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. But Turkey first of
all needs to understand that Russia does not have all the keys to
the problem.

"The Moscow declaration of November 2008 was an example of the
limitations of Russian influence," said Freizer. "The Russian
leadership did step in and was successful in getting a signature from
the two presidents, but this did not change anything on the ground
or get the sides closer to a comprehensive agreement."

According to the program director, if Turkey doesn’t ratify the
Protocols in its parliament in the coming months, but Armenia does,
it will look like Turkey betrayed its commitments. In Freizer’s words,
this will undermine its whole foreign policy goal to play a bigger
role in securing peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress