South Caucasus in focus of nearest non-Caucasian neighbors - Kazakhstan and Ukraine

PanARMENIAN.Net - Internationalization of the South Caucasus is hotly debated by Russian expert circles and three former republics of soviet Transcaucasia. However, the talk about outer (or regional) players, are as a rule restricted to the ENP implementation in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Political News Agency reports.



"Meanwhile, the South Caucasus is in focus of the nearest non-Caucasian neighbors - Kazakhstan and Ukraine. It's also worth mentioning that Russia has strategic allies in the CIS, whose priorities and interests in the Caucasus are unclear. With the USSR decline, the former soviet republics lost the "sense of solidarity and historical gratitude."



"Former Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev offered mediation in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In 1991 Russia's first President Boris Yeltsin accompanied by Nazarbayev paid a visit to the region. The journey resulted in a communiqué signed by leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Azerbaijan, in presence of a representative from Nagorno Karabakh. At that time, Nazarbayev's mission was a failure. However, even after the USSR decline, Kazakhstan pretends to the role of a post soviet space integrator. It focuses on development of relations with Russia, U.S. and EU, what demands pragmatism rather than ideology," the edition says.