Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (left, with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan) is sparing no effort to gain the support of his partners in the CSTO.
Photo: Alexander Miridonov
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Russia May Get Support After All
Russia expects the Collective Security Treaty Organization to form a common position on the events in South Ossetia in time for its summit in Moscow, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced yesterday at a meeting in Sochi with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Sargsyan is among the CSTO leaders whom Russia is making efforts to sway before they meet in the Russian capital on Friday. The foreign ministers of the CTSO countries meet tomorrow.
“A significant number of our partners are ready to support the peaceful steps of the Russian side,” a Russian diplomatic source said, “but we would like harsher condemnation of Georgia. So far, it is reminiscent of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization option, where they supported us in words, but supported the priority of territorial integrity in the final declaration.”
Moscow is pressing for the passage of a broad position piece on Friday that will condemn Georgia and unambiguously stress the unacceptability of the expansion of NATO on the borders of CSTO countries and the placement of American missile defense elements in the zones of interest of CSTO members. Russian diplomats are also hoping for support for the idea of a European Security Treaty, which Medvedev introduced in his new concept for Russian foreign policy in July.
The CSTO summit was to be held in Kyrgyzstan, but Russia asked that it be allowed to host the event as an exception, due to the conflict with Georgia. Russia will have a lot of convincing to do, since not all CSTO members are eager to complicate their relations with the West with such a position. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was the first to feel press on August 20.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 03, 2008
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