Русская версияJoerg Himmelreich is a Russia expert with the German Marshall Fund.
DW-RADIO: Mr.
Himmelreich, why is this region so important?
Bildunterschrift:
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Joerg Himmelreich
Joerg Himmelreich: Local conflicts here have an effect on more
global, geopolitical dimensions. The local conflicts consist of the
establishment of an independent regime under the de facto South
Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity, which is not recognized by any
country, not even Russia. But it affects Russian interests as it
undermines the stability of Georgia, which South Ossetia belongs to
territorially. In this sense, the local conflicts are welcome for
Russian forces -- no one knows exactly what these forces are,
whether it's the military, or the intelligence community, or the
Kremlin itself -- that are inclined to endanger Georgia's security.
Which goals is the Russian president pursuing if he's getting so
massively involved in the conflict between Georgia and South
Ossetia?
The Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is a strong supporter of
Georgia's integration into NATO. That's why he lobbied for a
membership perspective at the NATO summit in Bucharest, which he
did not receive. It's been postponed. He's also determined to
become a member of the European Union.
The European Union and the German government in particular are
holding back, mainly because of deficits in terms of
democratization in Georgia. Saakashvili has been in power since the
rose revolution, but the democratization that had been hoped for
has not happened. All of this doesn't sit well with the Kremlin --
I'm not sure whether President Medvedev is really behind all of
this, since he doesn't seem to be in a position of power yet to
steer policy in this case in my opinion. Russia's overreaction in
this case seems to bear Putin's signature, who emphasized this by
personally visiting the conflict region.
Georgia
is powerless against the Russian army. Can you explain why the
Georgian president nevertheless sent his troops into battle?
It's a case of a Russian policy of well-placed, escalating
pinpricks: a Russian plane flies over Georgian territory,
individual Georgian soldiers stationed in South Ossetia as
peacekeepers are shot at, Georgian villages in South Ossetia are
shot at. And the Georgian president naturally is under enormous
pressure to respond from his own people, who see these pinpricks as
a great insult to their own national identity. He's made several
attempts, both in Strasbourg and Tskhinvali, to propose a
compromise, to offer great autonomy, also for the other conflict
region, Abkhazia. But because of history, namely the independence
wars in 1992 in this region, the South Ossetians are very skeptical
as far as peace offers are concerned.
What does this war mean for Georgia's road to the West?
It threatens it. NATO has made it a prerequisite that these
conflicts are resolved or a process to resolve them is underway.
This now seems to be more difficult than ever.
(Deutsche Welle)
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