標題: Ex-Soviet states wary of Russian action in Georgia
Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:05am EDT
By Maria Golovnina
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Some of Russia's closest allies in the former Soviet bloc
have distanced themselves from Moscow over its conflict with Georgia,
heralding a possible rift with the Kremlin.
Belarus, Kazakhstan and others in the Commonwealth of Independent States
remained silent for days after fighting erupted last week as they scrambled
to work out their positions.
As Russia grew uneasy over the silence, its ambassador to Belarus chided
Minsk for failing to offer open support. Belarus eventually expressed
condolences for the victims almost a week into the conflict but kept it
statements neutral.
Georgia then announced it was pulling out of the CIS -- a Russian-led
grouping of former Soviet states -- and urged others to follow suit.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has skillfully balanced strong
ties with both Russia and the United States, broke the silence on Wednesday,
offering unusually strong words and saying CIS unity was under threat.
"Complex inter-ethnic issues should be solved through peaceful means, through
negotiations. There is no military solution to these issues," he said in a
statement.
"Unfortunately, due to actions by some CIS states, our community has become
weak and has no levers to intervene in such conflicts."
Armenia, Russia's staunchest ally in the strategic South Caucasus region,
also expressed concern.
"It has been noted that attempts to solve existing problems through military
means are fraught with tragic consequences," the presidential press service
said in a statement.
Russia-friendly Turkmenistan, courted by the West as a new source of energy
for Europe, likewise said "conflicts must be solved only through peaceful,
diplomatic efforts".
RUSSIA'S ISOLATION
The United States said this week that Russia, its ties with the West already
strained over several issues, risked deeper isolation because of the violence
in Georgia.
The conflict over South Ossetia has already given rise to further
disagreement between Russia and Ukraine, which has sharply criticized
Moscow's military incursion.
In a gesture of support, Ukrainian leader Viktor Yushchenko, with the leaders
of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and Poland attended a mass rally in Tbilisi
this week.
Russia's traditional allies were more restrained and some, such as
Uzbekistan, have preferred to stay out by saying nothing.
Azerbaijan, keen to regain control over its own rebel region of
Nagorno-Karabakh, avoided sharp words and called for peace.
"We support the territorial integrity of Georgia and support efforts to avoid
the escalation (of violence) in the region and restore peace," a foreign
ministry spokesman said.
Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan, broke away
following a war soon after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The region,
backed by Armenia, claims full independence but is not internationally
recognized.
Independent Azeri media, however, have criticized the government over its
ambiguous position. The widely read Zerkalo newspaper described Russia's
actions as "fascism".
Commentators in Russia said Moscow was caught off guard by this reaction from
its ex-Soviet neighbors.
"Everyone in Moscow thought: 'We are in the right and the enemy will be
destroyed', but in Minsk and other CIS capitals everyone was in disarray,"
Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily wrote.
"This has totally paralyzed the CIS leaders including Belarus. Moscow did not
expect this from its closest ally."
(Editing by Andrew Dobbie)
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Georgia/idUSLF69637220080815?sp=true
新聞來源: (需有正確連結)
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