Tweet
NEITHER PACT NOR BLOC: MOSCOW FORMED A POST-SOVIET MILITARY ALLIANCE
by Gennadi Charodeyev
WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
February 11, 2009 Wednesday
Russia
NEW MILITARY STRUCTURE OF THE CIS COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY
ORGANIZATION IS INTENDED TO FORTIFY POLITICAL ALLIANCE OF POST-SOVIET
COUNTRIES; New collective forces of the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization are formed to deal with threats to member states'
national security, not with NATO.
Some Western experts hastened to call the new organization
Medvedev's Pact and even a military bloc. CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha pointed
out, however, that "... before transforming it into a fully-fledged
military alliance, leaders of these countries ought to make sure that
participation in the Collective Forces does not collide with national
legislations." Constitutions of some countries prohibit involvement
in military blocs and alliances. Participants in the summit believe
that the problem should be addressed to rule out discrepancies.
Neither for nor against NATO
Results of the talks between the presidents of Russia, Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan were
announced right after the negotiations.
Unlike its drafts, the document the summit signed does not acknowledge
NATO or installation of the American missile shield in East Europe.
Experts present at the summit even warned journalists against "being
overly dramatic" and emphasized that reinforcement of the military
component of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization "shouldn't
be regarded as the development of a counterweight to the Alliance."
As matters stand, the collective security framework is regional. There
exist three regional army groups: Russian-Belarussian (East European),
Russian-Armenian (Caucasus), and Central Asian.
Leaders of the involved countries decided to quarter the Collective
Forces on the territory of Russia.
Presidential whims
Moscow all but admits that the new military structure is supposed to
strengthen the political alliance against efforts of certain Western
states to exert clout with some members of the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization in order to secure their own military presence
on the territories of these countries. All the more alarming is the
fact that no Russian neighbor has ever stepped forward with offers
of help against the Georgian incursion into South Ossetia. Russia's
allies keep treating its actions in the Caucasus with caution even
now. Moreover, some leaders of the CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization indulge in whims...
Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus kept objecting to establishment of
the Strategic Response Collective Forces and to participation of the
Belarussian regular army in them. Talks over energy deliveries to
Belarus meanwhile continued. It was finally confirmed at the meeting
of the Supreme State Council of the Russian-Belarussian Union that the
parties had signed supplementary agreements to gas contracts. Rough
estimates show that the average price of gas for Belarus in 2009
will amount to about $150 per 1,000 cubic meters. It is going to be
the lowest tariff throughout the Commonwealth. Lukashenko in return
waived his objections to the Strategic Response Collective Forces and
to establishment of the Belarussian-Russian joint antiaircraft defense.
One other trouble was encountered right away. The development of
a similar antiaircraft defense framework with Armenia might and
probably will disturb Azerbaijan that is always jealous of the
military-technical cooperation between Moscow and Yerevan.
President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon displayed his temperament
two days before the summit and refused to attend it. His Kyrgyz
counterpart Kurmanbek Bakiyev called Rakhmon and talked him into coming
to Moscow after all. Rakhmon turned up in the Russian capital and -
if his mood were an indicator - settled all issues in the relations
with the Kremlin to his satisfaction.
As for Uzbekistan's "individual opinion", Press Secretary Vitaly
Strugovets said Uzbek President Islam Karimov must have had personal
reasons to disagree with the situation where all security structures
even including the Emergency Ministry were elements of the collective
forces to be mustered.
Expert opinion
Presidential Aide Sergei Prikhodko: It is the Central Asian armed
forces that are regarded as the nucleus of the future forces because
threats to security of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization
originate in the south. I mean the situation in Afghanistan, conflict
potential we know existing in Pakistan, and activeness of all sorts
of extremist groups operating in the region.
Vladimir Batyuk of the Institute of the USA and Canada (Russian Academy
of Sciences): The assumption that the alliance is intended to become
a kind of counterweight to NATO is absolutely wrong. Members of the
CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization are facing threats to
their security to deal with. I'm talking about extremism in these
countries and in Afghanistan nearby. I'm talking about the swelling
drug trafficking from Afghanistan. It is these threats the Collective
Forces are supposed to negate. Sure, membership in the CIS Collective
Security Treaty Organization costs Russia but Russia must endure this
financial strain because there is practically nothing in terms of
serious barriers between the Russian state borders and the borders of
Afghanistan. Supporting its Central Asian partners, Russia strengthens
its own security. There are no alternatives to this support.
by Gennadi Charodeyev
WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
February 11, 2009 Wednesday
Russia
NEW MILITARY STRUCTURE OF THE CIS COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY
ORGANIZATION IS INTENDED TO FORTIFY POLITICAL ALLIANCE OF POST-SOVIET
COUNTRIES; New collective forces of the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization are formed to deal with threats to member states'
national security, not with NATO.
Some Western experts hastened to call the new organization
Medvedev's Pact and even a military bloc. CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha pointed
out, however, that "... before transforming it into a fully-fledged
military alliance, leaders of these countries ought to make sure that
participation in the Collective Forces does not collide with national
legislations." Constitutions of some countries prohibit involvement
in military blocs and alliances. Participants in the summit believe
that the problem should be addressed to rule out discrepancies.
Neither for nor against NATO
Results of the talks between the presidents of Russia, Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan were
announced right after the negotiations.
Unlike its drafts, the document the summit signed does not acknowledge
NATO or installation of the American missile shield in East Europe.
Experts present at the summit even warned journalists against "being
overly dramatic" and emphasized that reinforcement of the military
component of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization "shouldn't
be regarded as the development of a counterweight to the Alliance."
As matters stand, the collective security framework is regional. There
exist three regional army groups: Russian-Belarussian (East European),
Russian-Armenian (Caucasus), and Central Asian.
Leaders of the involved countries decided to quarter the Collective
Forces on the territory of Russia.
Presidential whims
Moscow all but admits that the new military structure is supposed to
strengthen the political alliance against efforts of certain Western
states to exert clout with some members of the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization in order to secure their own military presence
on the territories of these countries. All the more alarming is the
fact that no Russian neighbor has ever stepped forward with offers
of help against the Georgian incursion into South Ossetia. Russia's
allies keep treating its actions in the Caucasus with caution even
now. Moreover, some leaders of the CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization indulge in whims...
Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus kept objecting to establishment of
the Strategic Response Collective Forces and to participation of the
Belarussian regular army in them. Talks over energy deliveries to
Belarus meanwhile continued. It was finally confirmed at the meeting
of the Supreme State Council of the Russian-Belarussian Union that the
parties had signed supplementary agreements to gas contracts. Rough
estimates show that the average price of gas for Belarus in 2009
will amount to about $150 per 1,000 cubic meters. It is going to be
the lowest tariff throughout the Commonwealth. Lukashenko in return
waived his objections to the Strategic Response Collective Forces and
to establishment of the Belarussian-Russian joint antiaircraft defense.
One other trouble was encountered right away. The development of
a similar antiaircraft defense framework with Armenia might and
probably will disturb Azerbaijan that is always jealous of the
military-technical cooperation between Moscow and Yerevan.
President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon displayed his temperament
two days before the summit and refused to attend it. His Kyrgyz
counterpart Kurmanbek Bakiyev called Rakhmon and talked him into coming
to Moscow after all. Rakhmon turned up in the Russian capital and -
if his mood were an indicator - settled all issues in the relations
with the Kremlin to his satisfaction.
As for Uzbekistan's "individual opinion", Press Secretary Vitaly
Strugovets said Uzbek President Islam Karimov must have had personal
reasons to disagree with the situation where all security structures
even including the Emergency Ministry were elements of the collective
forces to be mustered.
Expert opinion
Presidential Aide Sergei Prikhodko: It is the Central Asian armed
forces that are regarded as the nucleus of the future forces because
threats to security of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization
originate in the south. I mean the situation in Afghanistan, conflict
potential we know existing in Pakistan, and activeness of all sorts
of extremist groups operating in the region.
Vladimir Batyuk of the Institute of the USA and Canada (Russian Academy
of Sciences): The assumption that the alliance is intended to become
a kind of counterweight to NATO is absolutely wrong. Members of the
CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization are facing threats to
their security to deal with. I'm talking about extremism in these
countries and in Afghanistan nearby. I'm talking about the swelling
drug trafficking from Afghanistan. It is these threats the Collective
Forces are supposed to negate. Sure, membership in the CIS Collective
Security Treaty Organization costs Russia but Russia must endure this
financial strain because there is practically nothing in terms of
serious barriers between the Russian state borders and the borders of
Afghanistan. Supporting its Central Asian partners, Russia strengthens
its own security. There are no alternatives to this support.