FORMER U.S REPRESENTATIVE TO UN: U.S. WILL NOT TAKE ANY STEPS TO RESOLVE FROZEN CONFLICTS IN POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES
Trend
Feb 23 2010
Azerbaijan
The U.S. will not take any steps to resolve the frozen conflicts in
the post-Soviet countries, former U.S permanent representative to
the United Nations, who is recently serving at American Enterprise
Institute, John R. Bolton, told Trend News.
"If you look at the Obama’s policy towards Russia so far, I think the
U.S will try not to re-open the frozen conflicts, not try to find a
way so that Russia relates to all post soviet countries and sovereign
and independent ones and not even try to solve the conflicts within
their borders of those countries. I know it sounds odd, but I think
this is what the U.S will do".
There are several unresolved territorial conflicts in the territory
of former USSR. The longest one is the conflict between two South
Caucasus countries. It began in 1988, due to territorial claims of
Armenia against Azerbaijan. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory,
including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions are under the
occupation of the Armenian Forces.
Another territorial dispute is the conflict between Georgia and two
Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Mr. Bolton also sows careful optimism on establishing diplomatic
relations between Armenia and Turkey.
"It’s a positive event, but I wouldn’t overstate the potential
implications of it. It is a positive thing to establish a relation
with a country after so many years, but I wouldn’t overstate it that
much. Of course, it’s symbolic," he stated.
Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward
Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.
Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey were broken due
to Armenian claims of an alleged genocide and its occupation of
Azerbaijani lands. Their border closed in 1993.
Renewing the relations between the U.S and Russia affect other
post-Soviet countries, including Georgia and Azerbaijan, expert said.
Bolton pointed out that, "the steps the Obama administration has
been taken were trying to mollify Russia, still didn’t help it –
the relations remain difficult".