Moscow has held a summit of CIS states. Andrey Areshev, a scientist of the Institute for Political and Social Studies of the Black Sea and Caspian Region, expert of the Center for Central Asian and Caucasus Studies of the Institute for Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Vestnik Kavkaza that the summit was organized during the switch of power in Russia, the formation of the Cabinet and the clarification of foreign policy.
President Vladimir Putin placed emphasis on foreign affairs and emphasized the priority of the CIS. Stability in neighboring states is vital for Russia, especially in the southern areas of the Caucasus and Central Asia. Any confrontation there may harm stability.
Areshev believes that Russian-Georgian relations will remain as they are presently. Russia will continue cooperating with the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Recent hopes for changes in Russian attitude towards the two republics were not realized.
Russia will continue resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan and Armenia. Russia is not interested in an escalation of the conflict. Contacts with Armenia and Azerbaijan may bring a breakthrough in a resolution of their conflict in the future. Expectations of a sudden breakthrough in the past 4 years were an illusion, Areshev concludes.
