Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

TBILISI: Russian Hysteria Continues

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • TBILISI: Russian Hysteria Continues

    RUSSIAN HYSTERIA CONTINUES

    The Messenger
    April 30 2009
    Turkey

    On May 6 the Vaziani military base will host NATO military training
    exercises which were scheduled this time last year. Such trainings
    have been conducted previously and on those occasions they contained no
    threat to any country whatsoever. They could have been held this time
    without them even being noticed by anyone except military experts,
    but Moscow's hysterical (or maybe historical) reaction has made
    them international news. Russia's reaction has been so inappropriate
    that the trainings have suddenly acquired a completely new different
    dimension and importance.

    The Kremlin is trying to achieve several things simultaneously by
    objecting to these exercises. The first is to force NATO to retreat
    once again. Having forced NATO to take Moscow's favoured decision and
    refuse to grant MAP to Ukraine and Georgia last April it attacked and
    invaded Georgia last August, so this is what happens when NATO does not
    stick to its "guns". Secondly Moscow wants to make further aggressive
    gestures towards Georgia, and thirdly it wants to demonstrate its
    domination of former Soviet territory. The Kremlin needs to do these
    things to prove to the world who the master in the Caucasus and the
    former Soviet territories is.

    Since the August invasion Russia has not ceased its aggression against
    Georgia, only modified its form and character. The current hysteria
    is part of this aggression and an attempt to build self-confidence,
    the recent Council of Europe session having demonstrated that Russia is
    losing Western support. On the one hand, Russia wants to exercise its
    claims over the region and on the other it seeks to isolate Georgia
    from the rest of the world, so that nobody will dare enter into any
    kind of military, political or strategic arrangement with Georgia
    because they are frightened of Moscow. That is why Russia tries to
    influence and threaten its neighbours, promising to take serious
    steps if the Kremlin's opinion is not considered.

    And although no participant country has officially refused to take part
    in the exercises so far, as no appropriate papers have been submitted
    to NATO headquarters stating this, Russia has already achieved some
    results. Most probably certain countries will eventually refuse to
    participate. Of course NATO has not cancelled, postponed or relocated
    the Vaziani exercises as this would have meant capitulating, but the
    alliance keeps repeating like a guilty boy that these trainings were
    scheduled a year ago. Would NATO not have planned these trainings two
    months ago? Would it have been a crime or illegal action if they had
    been scheduled recently? Does this mean that if NATO wants to hold
    exercises later this year or next year it should receive Russian
    permission first?

    The situation has now become even more ridiculous. The criminal leaders
    of the Russian puppet regimes of so called Abkhazia and South Ossetia
    are daring to talk about the "aggressiveness of NATO"! Encouraged by
    the Russians they threaten to take "adequate measures." Abkhazia and
    South Ossetia can do nothing without Russia, so we should be under
    no illusions of what "adequate measures" is supposed to imply.

    Most probably Kazakhstan will not participate in the
    trainings. Ukraine's participation is problematic and Azerbaijan and
    Armenia are under serious pressure. Armenia as a strategic partner
    of Russia is facing a dilemma: if it participates in the trainings
    Moscow could retaliate in the most unexpected and vigorous ways,
    maybe with dramatic results for Armenia. But if it withdraws it will
    damage its relations with the West.

    As for Georgia, Russians repeatedly threaten Tbilisi with a further
    deterioration of the relations between the two countries. Who can
    guarantee that a new aggression will not be started? Provocations
    can be expected at any time, and the Georgian administration showed
    how clumsy it is during the August trap. So who can say it is not
    possible? This question is being put quite frequently in Georgia
    today and has not been answered so far.

    An amateur understanding is very simple - Georgia should not have
    abandoned the policy of balancing exercised by former President
    Shevardnadze. It should not have put all its eggs in one basket, taking
    a clear cut pro-Western orientation, think some representatives of
    the Georgian population. Maybe Georgia should have refused to host
    the NATO trainings itself, and thus not give Moscow grounds to conduct
    yet another aggression.

    There are many questions which have become more insistent
    recently. Some even think that many Western leaders have ceased
    making direct contact with Saakashvili simply in order not to upset
    Moscow. However, neither NATO nor Tbilisi wants to change their
    mind. The NATO exercises will be held and officially the participants
    should send their contingent.

    Chairman of the Georgian Parliament David Bakradze has stated that
    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has no moral, legal or political
    right to dictate his will to NATO or its allies. However Moscow is
    simply indulging in typical Soviet politics, in time-honoured fashion,
    believing that best form of defence is attack. There is a week left
    until the start of the NATO exercises and what will Moscow do, and
    how principled NATO will be, are the main questions which need to be
    answered now.
Working...
X