[The Independent, U.K.]

 

 

Le Temps, Switzerland

Jitters in Russian Media Over Georgia

 

"If the Kremlin is comfortable in its [Army] boots, the Russian press is tormented the day after Russia officially recognized the independence of the two separatist republics of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia."

 

By Alexandre Billette

 

Translated By Elise Nussbaum

 

August 28, 2008

 

Switzerland - Le Temps - Original Article (French)

MOSCOW: If the Kremlin is comfortable in its [Army] boots, the Russian press is tormented the day after Moscow officially recognized the independence of the two separatist republics of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

 

Vedemosti of Russia

 

• A prime reason for concern: the economic consequences of deteriorating relations with Moscow's Western partners. "Guess what the new priorities of the country are," asks Vedemosti [A business daily]. "To transform Moscow into an international business center, or modernize the army with sophisticated weaponry? Are we headed for the country's modernization, or its mobilization?" wonders the newspaper, pointing out that Moscow's stock market had dropped over five percent since President Dmitri Medvedev's announcement.

 

Vremia Novostiei of Russia

 

• Vremia Novostiei focuses on the international isolation that Russia is risking: "The Kremlin has few illusions about what countries will join it in recognizing the independence of the two republics." The daily recalled that, "for the moment, only the leader of the Ukrainian Party of Regions (pro-Russian ), the (pro-Kremlin) President of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, and the representative of Hamas in Moscow have publicly expressed support for Moscow on this."

 

            Kommersant of Russia

 

• But above all, Russian newspapers fear the domino effect of such a decision by the Kremlin. "The Russian president is ready to confront the West," says a Kommersant headline, which recalls that, "for the first time in its history, Russia has chosen to support the principle of the right to self-determination of peoples rather than territorial integrity. Even for 'friendly' entities such as Serbian Krajina in Croatia [at the beginning of the 1990s, when Yugoslavia split apart ], Russia has never recognized the authorities of self-proclaimed republics. And it is precisely on the basis of this principle that Moscow has always refused to recognize the independence of Kosovo," the paper says. 

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

• Vremia Novostiei also comes back to this issue. By asserting that if Kosovo could be independent, that means that the self-proclaimed republics of the Caucasus could be as well. Moscow may have created a precedent that set the entire region ablaze. The newspaper raises the question of "a possible worsening of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh" [a separatist region of Azerbaijan that is supported by Armenia], and even an escalation of conflicts in the Caucasus, a vital region for the transport of energy resources from the Caspian Sea.

 

RadioEchos of Moscow

 

• But now that Dmitri Medvedev has recognized the independence of the two territories, "what do we do next?" asks columnist Vikto Bountman of Moscow's RadioEchos, on his blog. "We now have two options: either we support this fictitious "independence" of Tskhinvali and Soukhoumi [the capitals of South Ossetia and Abkhazia], or we annex the two states into the Russian Federation." The reporter judges that "The first option is probably best on an economic level, because the "independence" in these two entities allows the grey market to go on as before," an ambiguous situation and of great benefit to smuggling of all kinds.

 

Rossiiskaïa Gazeta of Russia

 

• One must turn to publications favorable to the Kremlin to see some optimism. The Rossiiskaïa Gazeta, as is its wont, gives space to experts or deputies to analyze the consequences of Medvedev's declaration [recognizing Ossetia's and Abkhazia's independence]. The West can't really do much to Moscow, says Boris Makarenko of the Center of Political Technology. "Western capitals are afraid of war and they need Russia, especially in Afghanistan, where NATO is in a deplorable situation and where Russia acts as a transit country for delivering supplies."

 

Izvestia of Russia

 

• Finally, Izvestia also believes that, "the negative consequences were foreseen." But "neither threats nor isolation make sense, because it's hard to say who, between the West and Russia, needs the other more" in a globalized economy. The newspaper is concerned, however, about the lack of international recognition of the two separatist republics - other than Russia. "Without international support, the republics' independence will not be achieved," it concludes.

 

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[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US September 6, 2:40am]