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EU DOESN'T WANT KOSOVO TO BE 'ROLE MODEL'
Aliyah Fridman News.Az
news.az
Aug 2 2010
Azerbaijan
News.Az interviews Klaus W. Larres, Professor of History &
International Affairs at the University of Ulster, now on research
leave in Washington DC.
It will soon be the second anniversary of the second Russo-Georgian
war. Do you think that the role of the USA in the South Caucasus -
in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia - declined after this war?
As you know, both Western Europe and the United States have a great
interest in that area, but at the same time it is of course still
regarded as a very touchy area, as the former Soviet Union, Russia,
still views it as the so-called near abroad and its assets as its
sphere of influence, but I think most of us Europeans and the United
States tread very carefully in that area. But as you know they have
huge interests particularly as far as energy resources are concerned.
And you are perfectly right that they were very distraught by the
Russian-Georgian war and believe that was totally unnecessary and that
both countries should have been able to resolve their difficulties
without resorting to war.
Did the war put paid to any chances of the post-Soviet states -
Ukraine, Georgia and, possibly, Azerbaijan - joining NATO?
That's probably true. Even before the Russo-Georgian war NATO was
very divided over whether or not Georgia should become a candidate
for NATO admission. Particularly the German government, for example,
was opposed while the American government was slightly more in
favour. But I think the war, probably confirmed the fears of the
Western Europeans that if they took Georgia that could open up all
sorts of problems for NATO like a Pandora's Box so I think the war
has probably delayed any possibility of Georgia or another country
in the area being admitted to NATO.
Some of the post-Soviet states, including Georgia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan, started negotiations in July on EU association agreements.
Do you think that in the future these countries could become EU
members?
The EU has great difficulties at the moment as the Greek crisis and
the global financial and economic crisis have had severe repercussions
on the EU. The EU now has 27 countries, 16 of them in the Eurozone
with Estonia joining the zone next year in January. Generally I think
that the EU is very much in a phase and a belief that they need to
consolidate and stabilize first internally before they can actually
admit new members.
I don't think anyone has actually closed the door to new members,
but I do not think that the chances of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia
becoming members of the EU are very good at the moment. There may be
a long-term prospect, but certainly there is not a near or medium
term prospect. And I think that probably has less to do with these
countries as such as with the situation the EU is in at the moment,
the economic crisis, and the internal, maybe not crisis, but the
internal attempts to absorb the new Lisbon Treaty, to come up with
a diplomatic service; all these internal problems and the economic
crisis have made the EU very preoccupied with itself at the moment.
I would like to ask you about the recent decision of the UN
International Court that Kosovo's secession from Serbia was legal.
Some experts say the ruling can be a precedent for other situations,
such as Nagorno-Karabakh. Are there any parallels here?
Well, that is of course a difficult area. You know that Kosovo's
declaration of independence has been most controversial. And recently
the International Court of Justice of course said it was legal that
Kosovo split and became independent from Serbia. Most EU countries
would say that Kosovo was a special case and that it cannot easily
be compared to other parts of the world and I don't think that the
EU would like to see the splitting off of other parts from other
countries, and it is of course difficult for other situations to
prevent Kosovo being used as a model case.
But one also has to see that perhaps Kosovo was a special case because
of the civil war in Yugoslavia, because of the very longstanding
desires and ambitions of Kosovars to split from Serbia, viewing
themselves as an independent country.
So I'm not sure that the Kosovo situation really can be easily
transferred to other parts of the world, but that is a very difficult
area and very controversial and I think a lot of people will actually
disagree over whether or not Kosovo can be used as a role model here.
But the EU, as far as I can judge, doesn't want Kosovo to be used as
a role model.
From: A. Papazian
Aliyah Fridman News.Az
news.az
Aug 2 2010
Azerbaijan
News.Az interviews Klaus W. Larres, Professor of History &
International Affairs at the University of Ulster, now on research
leave in Washington DC.
It will soon be the second anniversary of the second Russo-Georgian
war. Do you think that the role of the USA in the South Caucasus -
in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia - declined after this war?
As you know, both Western Europe and the United States have a great
interest in that area, but at the same time it is of course still
regarded as a very touchy area, as the former Soviet Union, Russia,
still views it as the so-called near abroad and its assets as its
sphere of influence, but I think most of us Europeans and the United
States tread very carefully in that area. But as you know they have
huge interests particularly as far as energy resources are concerned.
And you are perfectly right that they were very distraught by the
Russian-Georgian war and believe that was totally unnecessary and that
both countries should have been able to resolve their difficulties
without resorting to war.
Did the war put paid to any chances of the post-Soviet states -
Ukraine, Georgia and, possibly, Azerbaijan - joining NATO?
That's probably true. Even before the Russo-Georgian war NATO was
very divided over whether or not Georgia should become a candidate
for NATO admission. Particularly the German government, for example,
was opposed while the American government was slightly more in
favour. But I think the war, probably confirmed the fears of the
Western Europeans that if they took Georgia that could open up all
sorts of problems for NATO like a Pandora's Box so I think the war
has probably delayed any possibility of Georgia or another country
in the area being admitted to NATO.
Some of the post-Soviet states, including Georgia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan, started negotiations in July on EU association agreements.
Do you think that in the future these countries could become EU
members?
The EU has great difficulties at the moment as the Greek crisis and
the global financial and economic crisis have had severe repercussions
on the EU. The EU now has 27 countries, 16 of them in the Eurozone
with Estonia joining the zone next year in January. Generally I think
that the EU is very much in a phase and a belief that they need to
consolidate and stabilize first internally before they can actually
admit new members.
I don't think anyone has actually closed the door to new members,
but I do not think that the chances of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia
becoming members of the EU are very good at the moment. There may be
a long-term prospect, but certainly there is not a near or medium
term prospect. And I think that probably has less to do with these
countries as such as with the situation the EU is in at the moment,
the economic crisis, and the internal, maybe not crisis, but the
internal attempts to absorb the new Lisbon Treaty, to come up with
a diplomatic service; all these internal problems and the economic
crisis have made the EU very preoccupied with itself at the moment.
I would like to ask you about the recent decision of the UN
International Court that Kosovo's secession from Serbia was legal.
Some experts say the ruling can be a precedent for other situations,
such as Nagorno-Karabakh. Are there any parallels here?
Well, that is of course a difficult area. You know that Kosovo's
declaration of independence has been most controversial. And recently
the International Court of Justice of course said it was legal that
Kosovo split and became independent from Serbia. Most EU countries
would say that Kosovo was a special case and that it cannot easily
be compared to other parts of the world and I don't think that the
EU would like to see the splitting off of other parts from other
countries, and it is of course difficult for other situations to
prevent Kosovo being used as a model case.
But one also has to see that perhaps Kosovo was a special case because
of the civil war in Yugoslavia, because of the very longstanding
desires and ambitions of Kosovars to split from Serbia, viewing
themselves as an independent country.
So I'm not sure that the Kosovo situation really can be easily
transferred to other parts of the world, but that is a very difficult
area and very controversial and I think a lot of people will actually
disagree over whether or not Kosovo can be used as a role model here.
But the EU, as far as I can judge, doesn't want Kosovo to be used as
a role model.
From: A. Papazian