Around Russia

The delivery of Abkhazia

October 23, 2006 Alexander Golts

In the last text, I wrote that Vladimir Putin was so liberated that at an informal Russia-ES summit, the Russian president can learn something completely out of the ordinary. I take my words back. At the Summit, Putin was "white and fluffy." And even made a decisive, unexpected and highly reasonable step. Speaking about relations with Georgia, he not without reason noted that the conflict was based on the desire of Tbilisi to return Abkhazia and South Ossetia to his sovereignty. As usual, he accused Georgia of his intention to return the escaped territories by force. But Putin's main message was different. He suddenly pointed to the correct, in his opinion, the path to settlement: “Patience needs to be gained, you need to carefully return trust in each other and build a common state.” At the same time, the general state of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia was meant.

And this, of course, became a sensation (it was not for nothing that Russian news programs prudently cut these words). For a rather long time, the Kremlin carefully hinted that under certain circumstances it could be recognized by the independence of self -proclaimed states. “If someone believes that Kosovo can be provided with complete state independence, then why should we refuse this to the Abkhazians or South Ossetians. I'm not talking about how Russia will act. But we know, for example, that Türkiye recognized the Republic of Northern Cyprus. I do not want to say that Russia immediately immediately recognizes Abkhazia or South Ossetia as independent and independent states, but there are such precedents in international life, ”the head of the Russian state said just a few a few ago.

The heads of the self-proclaimed republics believed that they correctly understood these hints of Moscow and the growing Russian-Georgian tension, which will look at the military operations. And therefore, as on command, they began to conduct referenda and contact Russia with a request to recognize their independence. Moreover, in Moscow, people who are clearly close to power made it clear that these appeals would not remain unanswered. Here, for example, the vice-speaker of the Federation Council Alexander Torshin said that the senators are ready to consider the appeal of the Abkhazia parliament on the recognition of the independence of this republic: “Russia, including those bodies that address the appeal of the Abkhaz Parliament, need to take this initiative and study all the legal opportunities within the current legislation of the Russian Federation in order to give a response to the appeal, which we were addressed by we were addressed. Abkhaz parliamentarians. "

And now the team: full back. Having brought into the absolute confusion of the heads of self -proclaimed republics and Russian politicians who supported them, Putin made it clear that Abkhazia and South Ossetia should be agreed with Georgia.

One can only be glad if, instead of the expected rudeness, the head of the Russian state suddenly demonstrates sanity. Only one question: if so, then what for the sake it was necessary to inspire the self -proclaimed states of hope either for independence, or to join Russia. Why give Russian passports with a generous hand? Why, through fingers, look at how retired Soviet military, also by the way, Russian citizens are appointed to command posts in the armies of Abkhazia and South Ossetia?

In a striking way, the foreign policy of Vladimir Putin repeats Boris Yeltsin’s repeatedly delayed foreign policy. The method is the same. First, raise bets to an inconceivable level, turn a certain international problem into a question of state prestige ... and then give these positions without any compensation. So it was during the Kosovo crisis. A spectacular turn of the Primakov aircraft over the Atlantic, a daring throw of our paratroopers into the Primetinsky airport. And then a quiet consent to NATO terms. The same thing happened with the expansion of NATO, and when the United States withdrawal from the software agreement. And when closing our bases in Cuba and in Vietnam.

You can, of course, imagine all this as an extremely dexterous military-diplomatic game. Like, the Kremlin intentionally pretends that a certain question is of particular importance, and then makes it the subject of bargaining with the West. And agrees to concessions, which are actually not so significant for him, in exchange for serious economic and political preferences. This theory would have the right to exist if there were at least one evidence that for all these numerous deviations after desperate attacks had at least some result. Never Russian deviations brought any visible results.

One way or another, but it seems that all the escapades of Russian foreign policy, including the incitement of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to independence, and then the rejection of such an incitement, have only one goal - to ensure the further participation of the Russian leader in international party: “Eight”, summits with the USA, the EU, ASEAN countries. It remains to rejoice at the small, that Putin still manages to slow down from time to time. Alexander Golts

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