PROMINENT RUSSIAN ANALYSTS URGES RUSSIA TO STEP UP ITS CLOUT ON CAUCASUS
Armenpress
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS: A prominent Russian political analyst
of Armenian descent slammed today Russia for its unwillingness to
help Armenia resolve a string of sensitive problems it shares with
neighboring Turkey.
Andranik Mihranian, who used to consult ex-Russian president Boris
Yeltsin, told an international conference in Yerevan, entitled ‘The
South Caucasus without Terrorism and Conflicts’ that many of these
problems had been created by Russia itself. The conference organized
by World Armenian Congress (WAC) has brought experts and analysts
from Russia, Turkey and some other countries.
Mihranian said because of Russia’s reluctance to deal with
these problems the U.S.A. has seized the initiative and holds
actually an exclusive right in this domain. “Unfortunately, the
other superpower-Russia- that has always been Armenia’s ally, and
a strategic partner today, is inactive in helping Armenia resolve
its problems with Turkey,” he said. Mihranian went on to argue that
Russia’s pullout from the South Caucasus together with withdrawal
of its military bases from Georgia would be fraught with a string of
very serious problems for Armenia.
Mihranian said Armenia has no allies in the region.
Its relationships with Turkey can be described as ‘cold war,’
it has no relations with Azerbaijan, while Georgia in the north is
still a failed state hit from time to time by political and economic
turmoil. He argued that Russia’s withdrawal from Georgia would leave
Armenia totally isolated since Georgia is driving towards NATO, while
Armenia remains in the Collective Security Treaty Origination (CSTO).
“Russia has to step up its political, economic and cultural clout on
the region in order to thwart attempts to change the existing balance
of forces here,” he said.