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Category: Southern Caucasus

Osetia :No need to panic over every regional crisis

Osetia Hakkinda TDN’de Ilter Turkmen’in bir yazisi, arz edilir.

No need to panic over every regional crisis

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Georgia is hopeful that the West could take action if the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is threatened. But there is a slim chance that Russia would do that

İlter TÜRKMEN

  As does the Middle East, the Caucasus always fluctuates in instability. And there is no sign that the instability will come to an end soon. At the origin of many crises structural elements, historic and religious rivalry, power imbalance, and a race in regional population increases play a key role. Some of these crises are due to unfortunate occupations by external forces, as in Iraq.



  All these boils undoubtedly affect Turkey in various ways because of the country’s geopolitical position. Turkey, however, has to experience this environment of tension whether we like it or not. Turkey can play mediator in some of the conflicts, though limited, but it cannot in some others.



  West has not much to say:



Plus, Turkey is not always a neutral actor; for instance interests of the country can be in accord with several parties and in conflict with others, considering the developments affecting Iraq and Georgia. We should always keep in mind that Turkish politics are not as flexible as they are supposed to be and where we fail in solving our own problems, cannot overcome crises in internal politics do not leave much space for foreign policies.

It’s been asserted that the latest skirmishes that have erupted between Georgia and Russia can spread and that the United States and the European Union cannot leave a country that affects the energy security of both against Russia. But it is obvious from the beginning that the West has not much to say in this crisis and it cannot engage in military encounters against Russia. Although the U.S. and Russia fiercely accuse each other at the United Nations Security Council, the council cannot reach a decision due to the Russian veto power.

  Besides, no one can deny that Georgia makes an arithmetical mistake by engaging in a war with a country Russia — stronger than itself. In the end, Georgia lost so many of its citizens to war as many left the country and had to withdraw forces from South Ossetia. Former Russian President Vladimir Putin said integration between Georgia and South Ossetia is impossible from now on; in other words, current borders will be permanent. As I write this piece, Russia was still bombarding the Georgian targets, not complying with ceasefire and keeping the Abkhazia coasts under control.

  Apparently, Georgia is hopeful that the West could take action if the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is threatened. But there is a slim chance that Russia would want to ruin this international pipeline. Although plans to make Georgia a NATO member is one of the key reasons why Russia has reacted against Georgia, one cannot say that Russia wants to cause a big crisis in U.S.-EU relations because these ties are economically and politically vital for both parties. As a matter of fact, it has been crystal-clear that U.S. aspiration to make Georgia and Ukraine NATO members is not realistic and off target.

What can Turkey do?

  What can Turkey do? It continues to call the sides to calm down and seek reconciliation. But it is less likely that Turkey, as a NATO member, can act as a facilitator between Russia and Georgia. However, it could be profitable for Turkey to reexamine its Caucasus policy. Unless the Karabakh issue is settled, we may face a many more dangerous hot encounters. At least signing an agreement to open the Turkey-Armenia border is extremely beneficial. Policies to create an environment for settlement can bring stability to the Caucasus, as they certainly help balancing out the Russian influence in the region.

  Obviously we should be very careful not to let these policies negatively affect our bilateral relations with Russia. Unfortunately, stability and peace in the Caucasus have turned very fragile after the Cold War. Going through the same process the Balkans are pulling themselves through. Though this is a different equation, it is time for the countries in the Caucasus to seek more realistic and constructive objectives.

© 2005 Dogan Daily News Inc. www.turkishdailynews.com.tr

August 12, 2008
Armenia Rules Out Support For Russian Strikes On Georgia

By Emil Danielyan

Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian assured a senior Georgian diplomat on Tuesday Russia did not and will not use Armenian territory for its ongoing military operations in Georgia condemned by the West.

Armenia maintains close defense links with Russia and hosts a Russian military base numbering several thousand soldiers and a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets.

The Defense Ministry in Yerevan flatly denied late last week Azerbaijani and Georgian media claims that some of the Russian warplanes involved in bomb raids on Georgia flew in from Armenian military airfields. A ministry spokesman rejected the allegations as an Azerbaijani “provocation” designed to damage Georgian-Armenian relations. He argued that the Russian military is not using MiG-29s in the air strikes.

Georgia’s ambassador to Armenia, Revaz Gachechiladze, commented the allegations, not echoed by the Georgian government, at a meeting with Ohanian. A statement by the Defense Ministry quoted Gachechiladze as stating that the Russian military aircraft stationed in Armenia has not been involved in the Russian onslaught.

“For his part, S. Ohanian assured the ambassador that Armenia’s territory will not be used as a military launch pad for hostilities against Georgia, expressing hope that ways will be found to normalize the situation in Georgia,” the statement said. Ohanian also offered his sympathy for “innocent victims” of the nearly week-long fighting, it added.

The statement claimed that Gachechiladze requested the meeting in order to introduce Georgia’s new military attaché in Yerevan, Colonel Murtaz Gujejiani, to the Armenian defense chief.

Armenia is treading carefully on the Russian-Georgian conflict, mindful of the two countries’ importance for its national security. The Armenian Foreign Ministry expressed on Friday serious concern about the outbreak of fighting in South Ossetia but avoided blaming any of the parties for the worst regional crisis since the early 1990s. Official Yerevan has so far not reacted on Russian forces’ subsequent advance deep into Georgian territory, which has been condemned by the United States and other Western powers.

The Armenian government also refuted on Tuesday other media reports saying that it allowed a planeload of U.S. military instructors bound for Georgia to land in Yerevan’s Zvartnots international airport. Deputy Foreign Minister Gegham Gharibjanian said special flights to Zvartnots have been carried out only by planes that were sent by some European governments to collect their citizens evacuated from Georgia.

August 12, 2008
CFP- Armenia and Armenians in International Treaties, U of Mich, Mar 18-21, ’09

Posted by: Gloria Caudill <gcaudill@umich.edu>

Armenian Studies Program
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Call For Papers
International Conference on Armenia and Armenians in International Treaties

The Armenian Studies Program (ASP) at the University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, will be convening an international conference on the theme
Armenia and Armenians in International Treaties. The conference will
be held on the campus of the University of Michigan, March 18-21, 2009.

International treaties represent critical moments in the history of
Armenia and of the Armenian people that had serious implications for
their status and future as well as that of neighboring peoples and
countries. International treaties also constitute the linchpin of
diplomatic history, an aspect of Armenian history that has been
neglected. The purpose of the conference is to determine patterns and
processes which might shed light on the challenges faced by Armenia
and Armenians in their long history.

For the purposes of this conference the term treaties will include
also international agreements such as the one between the Armenian
merchants of India and the British East India Company in 1688 or the
May 1896 agreement regarding the Eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire.

Scholars interested in the subject of Armenian diplomatic history from
earliest times to the present are invited to submit abstracts for
their proposed papers on the theme to Ms. Gloria Caudill, ASP
Administrator, (gcaudill@umich.edu) by Friday, October 3, 2008. ASP
will notify scholars regarding the acceptance of their proposal by the
end of October, 2008. Final papers should be submitted two weeks
before the conference, by February 18, 2009. The papers will be made
available to all participants in order to limit presentations during
the conference to 20 minutes per participant and provide time for
discussion during panels.

The conference will begin with a reception on the evening of
Wednesday, March 18, followed by three full days of panels. The
conference will be webcast live internationally. Professor Gerard
Libaridian is the main convener of the conference.

The language of the conference will be English, although presentations
in Armenian as well as in French, Russian and Spanish will be accepted
as long as the presenter can provide an English translation of the
paper two weeks before the conference

ASP will cover all expenses related to travel, lodging and meals for
participants.

For further information, please contact Ms. Gloria Caudill at the ASP office:
Email: gcaudill@umich.edu
Telephone: (1) 734-763-0622.

August 12, 2008
Timeline by 12th of August From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia

12 August

10:15 Russian planes bombed Gori. The territory around administration building and city market have been bombed.

In the morning ours of 12 August Russian airplanes bombed the village of Tkviavi near Tskhinvali once again.

03:25 Russian envoy to the UN Churkin announced on the press conference that Russia will not support the resolution. Georgian envoy Alasania announced that suggested resolution is acceptable to Georgia.

02:15 Emergency meeting of the Security Council of the UN started. The resolution about cease-fire prepared by France was discussed. (more…)

August 12, 2008
Bush Warns Russia to Reverse Course in Georgia

US President George W. Bush made a statement about the situation in Georgia. Bush is demanding Russia withdraw from Georgia saying that such Russia’s actions are unacceptable in 21st century.

“Russia has invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatens a democratic government elected by its people, ” said Bush.

“Russia’s actions this week have raised serious questions about its intentions in Georgia and the region. These actions have substantially damaged Russia’s standing in the world. And these actions jeopardize Russians’ relations — Russia’s relations with the United States and Europe. It is time for Russia to be true to its word and to act to end this crisis,” said US President.

He said he was “deeply conerned” that Russian troops had moved beyond the zone of conflict.

“There’s evidence that Russian forces may soon begin bombing the civilian airport in the capital city,” he said. “If these reports are accurate, these Russian actions would represent a dramatic and brutal escalation of the conflict in Georgia. And these actions would be inconsistent with assurances we have received from Russia that its objectives were limited to restoring the status quo in South Ossetia that existed before fighting began on August the 6th,”

He calls upon Russia to reverse the course and respect Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. He also told Russia to accept the peace agreement.

“Russia’s government must respect Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Russian government must reverse the course it appears to be on, and accept this peace agreement as a first step toward resolving this conflict,” he said.

August 12, 2008
STATEMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GEORGIA

Russian occupation forces have already gone beyond the conflict zone. Until recently Russia limited itself to aerial assaults outside of the boundaries of the conflict zone, however, now the Russian forces are attempting to seize the control of entire Georgia. Russian regular army is located in Zugdidi, Khobi and Senaki. Also, numerous Russian troops moved beyond Tskhinvali region, blocked the major highway and headed towards the capital of Georgia (Tbilisi). All of this happened following Georgian Government’s unilateral declaration of ceasefire, regroupment of Georgian troops outside of the conflict zone and, finally, the signing of the document prepared by Foreign Ministers of Finland, France and Georgia regarding unconditional ceasefire. Until this very moment the Georgian Government was and continues to fulfill the terms of the abovementioned document. Throughout the night and following the unilateral ceasefire, the Russian jets continued the bombardment of capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, and other cities and villages. Only within one night more than 10 assaults have been carried out, which resulted in the damage of civil aviation radar system, civil aviation telecom system, residential buildings, as well as, road infrastructure. Then, Russian “peace keepers”, in violation of their mandate and international standards, entered Zugdidi region, occupied Police and other administrative buildings and started “patrolling” Western part of Georgia. All of the abovementioned, suggests that the Russian actions have nothing to do with the enforcement of peace and that it was all pre-planned strategy aimed at conquering Georgia.

Today the statehood of Georgia is in great danger, and, thereby, leaving existing world order in uncertainty. We appeal to the world community to stop the Russian aggression and assume the responsibility for the developments in the region.

August 12, 2008