SOUTH CAUCASUS CONFLICT RISES EU, NATO AND US CONCERN Cover Image

SOUTH CAUCASUS CONFLICT RISES EU, NATO AND US CONCERN
SOUTH CAUCASUS CONFLICT RISES EU, NATO AND US CONCERN

Author(s): Constantin Gheorghe Balaban
Subject(s): International relations/trade, Security and defense, Military policy, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, Geopolitics, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Carol I National Defence University Publishing House
Keywords: South Caucasus; Georgia; Abhazia; South Ossetia; crisis; frozen conflict;

Summary/Abstract: Frozen or not, the crises and conflicts from the Romania’s and, consequently, for European Union area of interest have unpredictable configuration and development. There’s a possibility for some frozen conflicts to burst again and others to finish dramatically because the Euro-Asian confluences space isn’t appropriate managed. An unsolved conflict that, presently, leads the South Caucasus almost to war is the Russian-Georgian one. A conflict provoking “tensions” into the transatlantic relations and although a colder and tensed atmosphere on the continent, admitted by the Moscow commissioner to Brussels which believes “the tensed atmosphere on the continent is similar with the 1914th one”1 . Georgia, ally of the United States, is crossed by the oil pipeline2 that tides Baku and the Turkish Mediterranean port, Ceyhan, but also sustains after the Peace Agreement signing that it is “occupied” by the Russian forces. A situation about which the American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declares that the Russian troops should withdraw immediately from the conflict area and their place should be taken by the neutral international peacekeeping forces. Experts estimated one day-conflict costs Russia about 100 million dollars and Georgia’s one-day battles against South Ossetia forces and Russian army almost 200 million dollars3 . There were also voices accusing militaries of “vandalism and theft”4 and the tones of human aids sent by Georgia couldn’t be distributed because of lack of security. One thing is sure: the stability in this area should become a “seriously international concern”. As usual in the past, United States, NATO and EU stated to be very worried and persistently asked for a faster nonviolent solution.

  • Issue Year: 2008
  • Issue No: 28
  • Page Range: 28-34
  • Page Count: 7
  • Language: English