ArmInfo.Attempts to transfer the security of the post-Soviet space to NATO will not only not reduce the level of tension in the conflict, but will even increase it, which, in the light of the ongoing processes around Ukraine, is actually already happening.
A similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by Sergey Markedonov, a leading researcher at the Institute for International Studies of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Russian Foreign Ministry, editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Analytics
"It is necessary to be clearly aware that the trasfer of the security of the post-Soviet space to a single North Atlantic denominator, in turn, complicates the completion of the transition of the post-Soviet countries to the status of full-fledged, established states. And it is the situation in the post-Soviet space that remains the most important priority on the European agenda, what, in fact, emerges from the current, intensive negotiations between Moscow and the collective West," he stressed.
According to Markedonov, US and NATO allies in these talks are trying to narrow the focus on the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. In his opinion this is being done in order to divert negotiations from the general problems of European security to the Ukrainian direction and thereby force Russian diplomats- negotiators to justify themselves, defend themselves, react, but not play ahead of the curve. Meanwhile, for Moscow, ensuring security on the territory of the former USSR is the most important position, without which it is very difficult to talk about other Russian interests.
The analyst considers that NATO enlargement to the post-Soviet space, the strengthening of Brussels' influence in these territories due to the reduction of Moscow's influence is not so much a key issue as the what will happen in the countries that Markedonov describes as countries with a complex composition, by the latter, the analyst means countries with a multi-ethnic population, still unfinished formation of national identity and insufficient experience in international activities.
Returning to the Russia-West talks, Markedonov underlined the efforts of NATO, US and EU negotiators to build a common line of response to Moscow's initiatives on security guarantees. At the same time, taking into account their thesis about the open door policy for NATO and the impossibility of Russia gaining a de facto veto on its expansion, one should not expect positive trends in the negotiations today, in his opinion.
"Moscow, in turn, does not at all consider the right of a country to join any integration alliance to be absolute. Emphasizing the need to take into account the interests of players who are unable or unwilling to join such an alliance. Otherwise, the fundamental principle of the indivisibility of security is violated and a club appears privileged countries that determine the rules of the game for other countries. In any case, the negotiation process, despite the abovementioned, continues and the parties are in no hurry to withdraw from it. Let's see what will be the written response to the Russian Federation's initiative on security guarantees and the results of the visits of the foreign ministers of the member countries NATO for further consultations with the Russian Foreign Ministry," Markedonov summed up