RUSSIAN DIPLOMACY’S ROLE IN RESOLUTION OF MIDDLE EAST, OTHER CONFLICTS EXAMINED
Nezavisimaya Gazeta website
May 25 2011
Russia
[translated from Russian]
“The Far From Straightforward Mission of Diplomacy. Russia Has Its
Own Niche in the Task of Resolving International Conflicts”
The series of meetings held in Moscow in recent days with delegations
from the Near East [Middle East] reflect Russia’s continuing influence
in the region and its role in efforts to resolve its problems. The
parties to the conflicts, be it the Libyan internal conflict or
the Near East conflict, in which a broad circle of countries and
political movements are involved, recognize this role and attempt to
bring their position to Moscow’s cognizance, and to secure its support.
Russia’s influence is connected above all with its status as a
permanent member of the UN Security Council, and its established
connections with the countries of the region. It should be noted
that the possible truncation of these ties, or the limitation of the
spectrum of contacts with the political forces of the region, would
inevitably lead to a reduction in Moscow’s ability to influence the
resolution of its problems. In connection with this, it is impossible
not to note that maintaining contacts (even sporadic ones) with Hamas,
as one of the influential Palestinian organizations, looks entirely
justified – after all, much depends on the line taken by this movement.
Persistence and initiative are needed, though even they, it must be
admitted, do not always produced the required result. After all, the
Near East problem has remained unresolved for several decades already.
It is hard to expect that it will be Moscow that will be able to
get things moving towards resolution in a radical way. However, we
are simply obliged to take part in it, including as a member of the
Quartet of Near East mediators.
Paradoxically, conflicts in the resolution of which Moscow, it might
appear, can and even should play a decisive role also remain a tough
nut to crack for Russian diplomacy. These are the conflicts in the
post-Soviet area in which Russia, it can be said, holds all the trump
cards: It maintains close connections, both political and economic,
with all the conflicting sides, and knows the full history of the
question. There is not even the language barrier that sometimes
prevents mutual understanding – local elites, as a rule, have an
excellent command of the Russian language, and many of the leaders
of these countries in the past graduated from the best Russian higher
educational establishments – for example, Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev is a graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International
Relations.
This applies above all to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan
over Nagornyy Karabakh and the Dniester Region problem. But not just
those conflicts. A whole friction knot has arisen between the countries
of Central Asia: over issues pertaining to territorial delimitation;
over the problem of water use; and in connection with incidents of
interethnic dissension and with the need to protect the safety and
interests of the citizens of one country who live on the territory
of another country; and so forth.
The world has accumulated a large experience of the resolution of such
conflicts, and fine-tuned methods exist that in many cases produce
a result. There are ways of persuading sides of the need for mutual
concessions and reasonable compromise, and, moreover, in a form that
allows the sides to maintain their dignity. There are effective ways
of ensuring movement towards the necessary result. One of these is
the elaboration and adoption of a “road map” for the solution of a
problem. But, you will say, for which of the aforementioned problems
does a “road map” exist that was proposed by Russian diplomacy or
was elaborated with its participation?
Meanwhile, some of the problems listed above have become overripe. The
conflicts existing in the post-Soviet area must not be allowed to flare
up again into open clashes. Or they have become chronic, like the Near
East problem. To help resolve them is the duty of Russian diplomacy –
its far from straightforward, but extremely important mission.