Foreign

Home page

Foreign

Specialist of US Congressional Research Service: Russia is deeply trying to keep South Caucasus and Central Asia countries on its â€œinfluence areaâ€

25 February 2010 10:28 (UTC +04:00)

Washington. Isabel Levine â€“ APA. A specialist in Russian and Eurasian Affairs of US Congressional Research Service Jim Nichol believes that, Russia is deeply trying to keep South Caucasus and Central Asia countries on itsâ€™ â€œinfluence areaâ€.

â€œAfter an Energy Cooperation Statement was signed at the May 2002 U.S.-Russia summit, it appeared that Russia would accept a Western role in the Caspian region, including the construction of oil and gas pipelines from Azerbaijan to Turkeyâ€, - Mr, Nichol wrote in his last â€œRegional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interestsâ€ report to Congress.

According to APAâ€™s Washington correspondent, American analyst is confident that Russia is using all of its instruments to â€œcounter Western business and gain substantial influence over energy resources through participation in joint ventures and by insisting that pipelines cross Russian territoryâ€.

He writes that, one of such instruments is regional organizations which created by Russia.

â€œRegional cooperation in Caucasus and Central Asia remains stymied by tensions among the states. Such tensions continue to exist despite the membership of the states in various cooperation groups such as the CST Organization (CSTO), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and NATOâ€™s Partnership for Peace (PFP)â€ â€“ he said.

Analyst reminded that, the CST was signed by Russia, Belarus, the South Caucasus countries, and the Central Asian states (except Turkmenistan) in May 1992 and called for military cooperation and joint consultations in the event of security threats to any member. At the time to renew the treaty in 1999, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Azerbaijan formally withdrew. The remaining members formed the CSTO in late 2002, and a secretariat opened in Moscow at the beginning of 2004.

â€œThrough the CSTO, Russia has attempted to involve the members in joint efforts to combat international terrorism and drug trafficking. Former Kyrgyz President Akayev apparently did not call for the aid of the CSTO during the coup that overthrew him in 2005, and the CSTO has appeared inactive during other crises in the region. In September 2008, its members agreed to condemn Georgiaâ€™s â€œaggressionâ€ against its breakaway South Ossetia region but refused a request by Russia to extend diplomatic recognition to South Ossetia and Georgiaâ€™s breakaway region of Abkhaziaâ€, -he added.