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ANALYST: RUSSIA SHOULD TAKE PART IN THE EUROPEAN CONCERT
by David Stepanyan
ARMINFO
Friday, March 21, 13:17
Russia should take part in the European concert, Russian analyst Sergey
Markedonov said at the Yerevan conference on NATO's partnership in
the South Caucasus.
"Like it or not, there is no alternative to our participation in
European affairs. Russia is not a Soviet Union isolated from Europe
and the West in general. Present-day Russia is connected with Europe
and the world by thousands of threads, first of all, economic threads.
Therefore, it is senseless and ineffective to impose economic sanctions
on it", the analyst stressed.
Markedonov is convinced that the pressure on the Russian authorities
may intensify the authoritarianism and even lead to the Kremlin's
refusal to demonstrate commitment to democratic principles. This
will deteriorate the West-Russia relationship even more. According
to Markedonov, Russia, unlike other powers, is a Caucasian country,
and this fact allows it to take part in the Caucasian affairs. "Unlike
the USSR, Russia does not consider a priority to interfere with the
affairs of Angola or Cuba, for instance. We have neither a desire nor
an opportunity to do that. However, the post-Soviet area has always
been a zone of vital interests for Russia with all that it implies",
said Markedonov.
The ongoing two-day International Conference "NATO Partnership in the
South Caucasus: Strategic Approach to Regional Security" in Yerevan
has brought together political analysts and experts from Azerbaijan,
Georgia, USA, Russia, Turkey, Iran, UK, Spain and Belgium to discuss
regional security issues, Euro-Atlantic prospects, European and
Eurasian partnership, cooperation and development trends in the
countries in the South Caucasus. The event is organized by the Center
for Strategic Analysis Spectrum.
From: A. Papazian
by David Stepanyan
ARMINFO
Friday, March 21, 13:17
Russia should take part in the European concert, Russian analyst Sergey
Markedonov said at the Yerevan conference on NATO's partnership in
the South Caucasus.
"Like it or not, there is no alternative to our participation in
European affairs. Russia is not a Soviet Union isolated from Europe
and the West in general. Present-day Russia is connected with Europe
and the world by thousands of threads, first of all, economic threads.
Therefore, it is senseless and ineffective to impose economic sanctions
on it", the analyst stressed.
Markedonov is convinced that the pressure on the Russian authorities
may intensify the authoritarianism and even lead to the Kremlin's
refusal to demonstrate commitment to democratic principles. This
will deteriorate the West-Russia relationship even more. According
to Markedonov, Russia, unlike other powers, is a Caucasian country,
and this fact allows it to take part in the Caucasian affairs. "Unlike
the USSR, Russia does not consider a priority to interfere with the
affairs of Angola or Cuba, for instance. We have neither a desire nor
an opportunity to do that. However, the post-Soviet area has always
been a zone of vital interests for Russia with all that it implies",
said Markedonov.
The ongoing two-day International Conference "NATO Partnership in the
South Caucasus: Strategic Approach to Regional Security" in Yerevan
has brought together political analysts and experts from Azerbaijan,
Georgia, USA, Russia, Turkey, Iran, UK, Spain and Belgium to discuss
regional security issues, Euro-Atlantic prospects, European and
Eurasian partnership, cooperation and development trends in the
countries in the South Caucasus. The event is organized by the Center
for Strategic Analysis Spectrum.
From: A. Papazian