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COLELCTIVE EVALUATION
by Vladimir Soloviov
WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 8, 2008 Monday
Russia
FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE CIS COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY ORGANIZATION
SIDED UP WITH RUSSIA; The CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization
backed Moscow in the Russian-Georgian conflict.
Russian diplomacy scored a major foreign political victory. Foreign
ministers of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization
(Organization) met in Moscow and passed a joint declaration that pinned
all blame for the conflict in South Ossetia on Georgia. Along with
everything else, the forum seconded Russia's suggestions concerning
global security issues and President Dmitry Medvedev Enhanced Coverage
LinkingDmitry Medvedev -Search using: Biographies Plus News News,
Most Recent 60 Days 's idea of a new European security treaty. The
Kremlin is bound to try and develop its success at the Organization
summit, today.
Foreign ministers' forum yesterday became the first step to
international support of its actions with regard to Georgia the Kremlin
needs so bad. The statement the meeting passed is the most pro-Russian
evaluation of the recent war in the Caucasus to date. Foreign ministers
of the Organization (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) complimented Russia on the
"active part played in facilitation of peace and cooperation in
the Caucasus"; suggested "security of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on
the basis of the UN Charter and the Final Act of the Conference on
Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki, August 1, 1975)"; and
insisted on "fulfillment of the principles of settlement worked out
by presidents of Russia and France" (the so called Medvedev-Sarkozy
Plan - Kommersant).
What particularly pleased Russia about the document was the paragraph
where members of the Organization "express grave concern over the
hostilities the Georgian side commenced in South Ossetia and the
resulting numerous casualties among noncombatants, deaths of Russian
peacekeepers, and a humanitarian catastrophe."
In a word, the Organization comprising seven CIS countries pinned all
blame for the recent conflict on Tbilisi alone, a fact of paramount
importance for the Kremlin. Particularly after the virtual fiasco
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit whose members had
only "expressed concern over tension in the South Ossetian issue"
and called for a "peaceful solution to the existing problems." "The
CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization is not the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization, you know. It was China that difficulties
were encountered with in the latter, but the former is different. This
former is a bloc of Russia's most dedicated partners in economic
matters and military-technical cooperation," a senior official of
the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The recent conflict in the Caucasus evaluated to Moscow's satisfaction,
foreign ministers of the Organization supported the global security
initiatives Moscow had come up with. The forum recognized the necessity
of a new treaty between Moscow and Washington to replace the expiring
offensive arms reduction agreement and pledged to pool efforts in
the work on a new European security treaty. This latter was first
suggested by Medvedev in the new concept of the Russian foreign policy
presented in mid-July. "We decided to combine efforts in the work on
a new European security treaty. Importance of this decision cannot be
underestimated," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was clearly jubilant.
The Kremlin will certainly try to develop success at the session of
the Collective Security Council today, the one to be attended by the
heads of states. "As for the final document of the summit... there is
every reason in the world to believe now that it will be everything
we need," a source in the Foreign Ministry said. The summit is
expected to pass a communique that will evaluate the conflict in
South Ossetia, global situation, and the role of the Organization in
international affairs. It is known that Russia would dearly like to
see this communique shaped in the form of a program document that will
condemn Georgia and, no less importantly, proclaim unacceptability of
NATO's continued expansion in the direction of Organization members'
borders and installation of American ABM defense system in the zone
of Organization's interests.
It is only fair to add meanwhile that not a single Organization
member approved Russian recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia,
and this is undeniably number one priority of the Russian diplomacy
nowadays. In fact, Russia's partners pulled off a neat trick and solved
a serious dilemma. On the one hand, they backed Moscow and therefore
proved their loyalty. On the other, they managed it in such a manner
as not to enrage the West. Nobody will be able to criticize them even
for the anti-Georgian paragraph in the final communique because even
the European Parliament admits that Georgia fired the first shot in
South Ossetia. In any event, Russia should now concentrate on finding
someone prepared to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia too. With
Nicaragua prepared to do so, the task becomes marginally easier.
by Vladimir Soloviov
WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 8, 2008 Monday
Russia
FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE CIS COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY ORGANIZATION
SIDED UP WITH RUSSIA; The CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization
backed Moscow in the Russian-Georgian conflict.
Russian diplomacy scored a major foreign political victory. Foreign
ministers of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization
(Organization) met in Moscow and passed a joint declaration that pinned
all blame for the conflict in South Ossetia on Georgia. Along with
everything else, the forum seconded Russia's suggestions concerning
global security issues and President Dmitry Medvedev Enhanced Coverage
LinkingDmitry Medvedev -Search using: Biographies Plus News News,
Most Recent 60 Days 's idea of a new European security treaty. The
Kremlin is bound to try and develop its success at the Organization
summit, today.
Foreign ministers' forum yesterday became the first step to
international support of its actions with regard to Georgia the Kremlin
needs so bad. The statement the meeting passed is the most pro-Russian
evaluation of the recent war in the Caucasus to date. Foreign ministers
of the Organization (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) complimented Russia on the
"active part played in facilitation of peace and cooperation in
the Caucasus"; suggested "security of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on
the basis of the UN Charter and the Final Act of the Conference on
Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki, August 1, 1975)"; and
insisted on "fulfillment of the principles of settlement worked out
by presidents of Russia and France" (the so called Medvedev-Sarkozy
Plan - Kommersant).
What particularly pleased Russia about the document was the paragraph
where members of the Organization "express grave concern over the
hostilities the Georgian side commenced in South Ossetia and the
resulting numerous casualties among noncombatants, deaths of Russian
peacekeepers, and a humanitarian catastrophe."
In a word, the Organization comprising seven CIS countries pinned all
blame for the recent conflict on Tbilisi alone, a fact of paramount
importance for the Kremlin. Particularly after the virtual fiasco
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit whose members had
only "expressed concern over tension in the South Ossetian issue"
and called for a "peaceful solution to the existing problems." "The
CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization is not the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization, you know. It was China that difficulties
were encountered with in the latter, but the former is different. This
former is a bloc of Russia's most dedicated partners in economic
matters and military-technical cooperation," a senior official of
the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The recent conflict in the Caucasus evaluated to Moscow's satisfaction,
foreign ministers of the Organization supported the global security
initiatives Moscow had come up with. The forum recognized the necessity
of a new treaty between Moscow and Washington to replace the expiring
offensive arms reduction agreement and pledged to pool efforts in
the work on a new European security treaty. This latter was first
suggested by Medvedev in the new concept of the Russian foreign policy
presented in mid-July. "We decided to combine efforts in the work on
a new European security treaty. Importance of this decision cannot be
underestimated," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was clearly jubilant.
The Kremlin will certainly try to develop success at the session of
the Collective Security Council today, the one to be attended by the
heads of states. "As for the final document of the summit... there is
every reason in the world to believe now that it will be everything
we need," a source in the Foreign Ministry said. The summit is
expected to pass a communique that will evaluate the conflict in
South Ossetia, global situation, and the role of the Organization in
international affairs. It is known that Russia would dearly like to
see this communique shaped in the form of a program document that will
condemn Georgia and, no less importantly, proclaim unacceptability of
NATO's continued expansion in the direction of Organization members'
borders and installation of American ABM defense system in the zone
of Organization's interests.
It is only fair to add meanwhile that not a single Organization
member approved Russian recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia,
and this is undeniably number one priority of the Russian diplomacy
nowadays. In fact, Russia's partners pulled off a neat trick and solved
a serious dilemma. On the one hand, they backed Moscow and therefore
proved their loyalty. On the other, they managed it in such a manner
as not to enrage the West. Nobody will be able to criticize them even
for the anti-Georgian paragraph in the final communique because even
the European Parliament admits that Georgia fired the first shot in
South Ossetia. In any event, Russia should now concentrate on finding
someone prepared to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia too. With
Nicaragua prepared to do so, the task becomes marginally easier.