The U.S. will not take any steps to resolve the frozen conflicts in the post-Soviet countries, former U.S permanent representative to the United Nations, who is recently serving at American Enterprise Institute, John R. Bolton, said.
“If you look at the Obama’s policy towards Russia so far, I think the U.S will try not to re-open the frozen conflicts, not try to find a way so that Russia relates to all post soviet countries and sovereign and independent ones and not even try to solve the conflicts within their borders of those countries. I know it sounds odd, but I think this is what the U.S will do.”
There are several unresolved territorial conflicts in the territory of former USSR. The longest one is the conflict between two South Caucasus countries. It began in 1988, due to territorial claims of Armenia against Azerbaijan. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions are under the occupation of the Armenian Forces.
Another territorial dispute is the conflict between Georgia and two Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Mr. Bolton also sows careful optimism on establishing diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey.
“It’s a positive event, but I wouldn’t overstate the potential implications of it. It is a positive thing to establish a relation with a country after so many years, but I wouldn’t overstate it that much. Of course, it’s symbolic,” he stated.
Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Ahmet Davutoglu and Edward Nalbandian signed the Ankara-Yerevan protocols in Zurich Oct. 10.
Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey were broken due to Armenian claims of an alleged genocide and its occupation of Azerbaijani lands. Their border closed in 1993.
Renewing the relations between the U.S and Russia affect other post-Soviet countries, including Georgia and Azerbaijan, expert said.
Bolton pointed out that, “the steps the Obama administration has been taken were trying to mollify Russia, still didn’t help it — the relations remain difficult.”
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