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Ex-Soviet States Wary Of Russian Action In Georgia

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  • Ex-Soviet States Wary Of Russian Action In Georgia

    EX-SOVIET STATES WARY OF RUSSIAN ACTION IN GEORGIA
    By Maria Golovnina

    Reuters
    15 Aug 2008 12:01:42 GMT

    MOSCOW, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Some of Russia's closest allies in the
    former Soviet bloc have distanced themselves from Moscow over its
    conflict with Georgia, heralding a possible rift with the Kremlin.

    Belarus, Kazakhstan and others in the Commonwealth of Independent
    States remained silent for days after fighting erupted last week as
    they scrambled to work out their positions.

    As Russia grew uneasy over the silence, its ambassador to Belarus
    chided Minsk for failing to offer open support. Belarus eventually
    expressed condolences for the victims almost a week into the conflict
    but kept it statements neutral.

    Georgia then announced it was pulling out of the CIS -- a Russian-led
    grouping of former Soviet states -- and urged others to follow suit.

    Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has skilfully balanced
    strong ties with both Russia and the United States, broke the silence
    on Wednesday, offering unusually strong words and saying CIS unity
    was under threat.

    "Complex inter-ethnic issues should be solved through peaceful means,
    through negotiations. There is no military solution to these issues,"
    he said in a statement.

    "Unfortunately, due to actions by some CIS states, our community has
    become weak and has no levers to intervene in such conflicts."

    Armenia, Russia's staunchest ally in the strategic South Caucasus
    region, also expressed concern.

    "It has been noted that attempts to solve existing problems through
    military means are fraught with tragic consequences," the presidential
    press service said in a statement.

    Russia-friendly Turkmenistan, courted by the West as a new source
    of energy for Europe, likewise said "conflicts must be solved only
    through peaceful, diplomatic efforts".

    RUSSIA'S ISOLATION

    The United States said this week that Russia, its ties with the West
    already strained over several issues, risked deeper isolation because
    of the violence in Georgia.

    The conflict over South Ossetia has already given rise to further
    disagreement between Russia and Ukraine, which has sharply criticised
    Moscow's military incursion.

    In a gesture of support, Ukrainian leader Viktor Yushchenko, with the
    leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and Poland attended a mass
    rally in Tbilisi this week.

    Russia's traditional allies were more restrained and some, such as
    Uzbekistan, have preferred to stay out by saying nothing.

    Azerbaijan, keen to regain control over its own rebel region of
    Nagorno-Karabakh, avoided sharp words and called for peace.

    "We support the territorial integrity of Georgia and support efforts
    to avoid the escalation (of violence) in the region and restore peace,"
    a foreign ministry spokesman said.

    Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan,
    broke away following a war soon after the Soviet Union collapsed in
    1991. The region, backed by Armenia, claims full independence but is
    not internationally recognised.

    Independent Azeri media, however, have criticised the government over
    its ambiguous position. The widely read Zerkalo newspaper described
    Russia's actions as "fascism".

    Commentators in Russia said Moscow was caught off guard by this
    reaction from its ex-Soviet neighbours.

    "Everyone in Moscow thought: 'We are in the right and the enemy will
    be destroyed', but in Minsk and other CIS capitals everyone was in
    disarray," Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily wrote.

    "This has totally paralysed the CIS leaders including Belarus. Moscow
    did not expect this from its closest ally." (Editing by Andrew Dobbie)
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