Saturday, August 30, 2008

PoR on Crimea

'Kommersant' carries this story:

Party of Regions leaves Crimea in peace

"Regionaly" assert that the experiences of South Ossetia and Abkhaziya will not repeated in the Autonomous Republic [of Crimea]

Yesterday the Crimean PoR organization supported the actions of the Russian Federation in the Caucasus in recognizing the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But PoR also emphasized that a similar scenario could not be repeated in the Crimea, because it is "an integral part of Ukraine". However, despite this clarification the medzhlis of the Crimean-Tatar nation, and the Crimean branch of Rukh both accused PoR of attempting to unite Crimea and Russia.

Representatives from PoR emphasized that the Autonomous Republic the Crimea must not become a region of instability and geopolitical rivalry. "Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine, in contrast to the republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia, whose citizens were not the citizens of Georgia," stated the leader of the Crimean PoR Vasiliy Kiselev.

Yesterday Crimean Communists responded to PoR's statements thus: "It's a great pity, that they expressed support [for South Ossetia and Abkhaziya] so late, complained the first secretary of the Crimean Communist Party leader Leonid Grach. "As always they sat and swallowed their tongue until Viktor Fedorovich Yanukovich appeared from Altai [where he likes to go for a spot of R&R] and made some vague pronouncement," Grach added.

"This [acknowledgement of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhaiya] is hundred per-cent provocation and ignores fact that similar moves can end badly, said an indignant leader of Rukh in Crimea, Leonid Pilunskiy.

In the opinion the first deputy chairman of the medzhlis, Refat Chubarov, any revision of boundaries in the post-Soviet space is a sure path to the destabilization of relations between all of its states."

LEvko's view is that no-one really knows what the Kremlin's intentions are in Crimea, provoking much anxiety both in Ukraine and elsewhere. A brief statement of clarification on this matter from president Medvedev or PM Putin would greatly reduce tension, but it is unlikely any such statement will be forthcoming. This alone is a cause for concern.

ps. Did Ukraine ever officially recognize Kosovo's independence? I seem to recall consultations were to be held but didn't they just 'kick the ball into the long grass?'

Saturday a.m. Update:

Last night PM Putin, in a German TV interview, clarified the situation on Russia's attitude to Crimea.

"Crimea is no kind of disputable territory. There have been no ethnic conflicts there...inside Crimean society complex processes are taking place. There are problems of the Crimean Tartars, the Ukrainian population, the Russian population, the entire Slavic population. But this is an internal political problem for Ukraine itself," he said, adding, "We have an agreement with Ukraine about our fleet remaining there until 2017, and we will be governed by this agreement."

"Russia recognised the borders of Ukraine a long time ago. In essence we have concluded, in general and totally, our negotiations on borders. The talk [now] is about democracy, but these are technical matters," said Putin.

LEvko says, that's more like it. Maybe the bear's appetite has now been sated.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I don't believe for one minute the Bear's appetite has been sated.

PoR and Yanukovich have a history of doing what the Kremlin desires. If they were in power, they probably would extend the treaty date as Russia desires, move closer to Russia than the West, and very probably move to restrict the democratic movement and free press. That would satisfy the Bear.

I don't believe for one minute that someone like Yanukovich has any interest in any democratic movement....and I don't think his chances of being elected president are as good as Yulia's, despite Yush, Baloha, Yanu, & Renat's attempts to undermine her.

The question we must ask..."will Russia leave Ukraine alone if Yulia is president?"

The honest truth is that Ukraine should remain very nuetral until it can build up its' economy, military and infrastructure, as I find it doubtful the West will come to their rescue, if a problem occurs.

Unknown said...

Can you email me my password? My computer here remembers it, but when at a different computer, I don't know it. (1gn428@gmail.com)

Thanks!

zuzana said...

I found an interesting interview - let me to recommend:
Territorial integrity of Georgia is indisputable: Georgian Ambassador to Slovakia Nikoloz Nikolozishvili

Anonymous said...

The bear lies, and always has. One can never trust the rooshan bear. Milosevic was the same. As a russophile, he signed treaties with one hand, and committed genocide at the same time with his other.

Roosha, for the first time in its history, had a chance to finally form a human government - not tsarist, not fascist-soviet, but democratic. In typical rooshan fashion, the people, who had been turned into one big genetic culture of fear, did nothing. The sovok elites grabbed all the wealth and blew each other up, along with anyone who got in the way. "Chaos."

So Putin is selling "order" - a "managed democracy." Which means that 1) inside the country, roosha has once again become totalitarian, and 2) outside the country, in order to prove roosha's "greatness" once agian, Putin-Medvedev and their kleptocracy are beating others up.

Plus - every 2-bit rooshan hanging on economically by a thread, for some reason all of a sudden feels "proud" that roosha has "gotten off its knees" and beat someone up. Ain't that just the way to put bread on the rooshan table - not. But it makes the rooshan baba tubs of lards in bikinis holding an icon and a rooshan flag jump for joy in Sevastopol as the Black Sea Fleet comes back from beating someone up. Whooppee!

roosha has reverted to form. It has always been a country that loves misery, theirs and yours.

And how else has rasha proved its "greatness," except by exporting misery, by creating death and destruction, by trying to dominate others?

Saakashvili is right - the rooshan government is a bunch of 21st century barbarians. They always have been, despite playing dress-up in French clothers. Today - Nigeria with missiles.

One can't trust the rooshan bear. When it comes to government, roosha is delusional and psychotic.

And remember the sovok motto: "think one thing, say another, do a third."

I'll say it again - you can't trust the rooshan bear.