MOSCOW NEEDS A MORE PRAGMATIC CIS POLICY
RIA Novosti, Russia
Feb 16 2005
MOSCOW, February 16 (RIA Novosti) – According to prominent political
scientist Andranik Migranyan, Russia should clearly formulate its
interests in the CIS, Politichesky Zhurnal reported.
According to Migranyan, Russia should officially recognize Abkhazian,
South Ossetian, Transdniestrian and Nagorno-Karabakh independence.
Doing so would pose no legal option because Russia is a legal
successor to Soviet legislation, which permitted the autonomous
regions of a republic withdrawing from the union the legal leeway to
declare independence.
The EU wants to convince Ukraine and Georgia that they should ally
themselves with Europe and not Russia. If their political ambitions
gain the necessary support in Kiev and Tbilisi, there will be
grounds for Russia to distance itself from the two countries. Let
Kiev formulate its own policy to its east, south and west.
Georgia will have a hard time maintaining intense, revolutionary
emotions because promises to restore territorial integrity remain
unfulfilled. Such a volatile situation could ensue in chaos.
The Turkmen totalitarian regime and Islam Karimov’s secular regime in
Uzbekistan have not worried the west yet, since both republics are
keen on cooperation. However, with the Kyrgyz and Kazakh opposition
structures, the west feels the need to be a beacon of freedom.
These republics were previously inclined to oppose Russia, but after
the events in Ukraine they realized that the Russian leaders are not
as pragmatic as their American counterparts.
Now Azeri, Kazakh and Kyrgyz opposition leaders will emulate the
Georgian and Ukrainian leaders and adapt pro-Western, and largely
anti-Russian, policies – all this in order to get financial and
political support from Washington and Brussels.
If Russia wants to retain its influence in the CIS, Moscow should
stop speculating on double standards. In politics, one must learn to
apply both double and triple standards.