Following recent events staged by Chechen mujahids (religious fighters) in Dagestan, Russia, local and foreign media have reported that Russian military troops are tightening control of the Azerbaijani-Georgian border. It has been speculated that by conducting anti-terrorist operations along the border, Russia is seeking to consolidate its stand in the South Caucasus region. Commenting on the issue, political analyst Mubariz Ahmadoghlu, head of the Center of Political Innovation and Technology, told Azernews that Azerbaijan is also strengthening its borders with Russia and Georgia.
| That would presumably be to the detriment of the Bad Guys... |
Ahmadoghlu underlined that the recent developments in Georgia testified that as a geopolitical territory Georgia had fallen under Russian influence.
| Not sure about the validity of that statement. The new guys seem even less willing than Shevardnadze to be Little Russians... |
"However, it doesn’t mean that Russia is capable of competing with the United States," underlined the political analyst. Noting that the United States’ position in the South Caucasus is becoming more and more diminished, Ahmadoghlu said: "The U.S. has not paid the necessary attention to the South Caucasus in recent years, mainly due to unexpected developments in Iraq and Afghanistan." Underlining that the United States is on the threshold of presidential elections, the political analyst stressed that it was high time for the U.S. to pay more attention to its domestic problems. Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus seems stronger in the context of reduced U.S. attention to the region. "In fact, Russian-Azerbaijani relations remain at the same level. There is no sign of new pressure on Russian-Azerbaijani relations. Moreover, Russia cannot take any steps that might aggravate the United States. U.S. and Russian national interests in the South Caucasus actually coincide with each other.
| That's my opinion, too, despite what the Washington Post might think... |
Other processes are also underway in the region. Russia is willing to benefit from Western investments in the Caspian region and the United States is unlikely to create any obstacles for Russia." |