Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
Commentary

Hilary Clinton tries to keep an American foot through the Caucasus door.

4 June 2012

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will travel to the Caucasus from June 4 to 7, visiting Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. The US State Department in a statement said that "In all these countries, she will discuss important issues of regional security, democracy, economic development and counterterrorism."

In Armenia on June 4, the Secretary will meet with President Sargsian and other senior Armenian officials. She will also meet with Armenian civil society leaders. On June 5, the Secretary will open the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission plenary session in Batumi, Georgia. She will meet also with President Saakashvili and hold discussions with a broad range of political actors and civil society representatives. The Secretary will travel on June 6 to Azerbaijan to meet with President Aliyev as well as Azerbaijani civil society leaders.

There are high expectations in the region with regards to Clinton's visit. Richard Giragosian of the Regional Studies Center in Yerevan says that the visit is particularly significant for three reasons: the timing, the broader context and the particular itinerary.  He relates the timing to the current election cycle which will see the three countries holding Presidential elections next year, as well as Clinton's own likely move from Secretary of State back to front line domestic politics. As regards context Giragosian mentions Iran and Russia and their specific engagement with the region and on the itinerary  he points out that the visit will end in Turkey which continues to play a leading role in the region. Giragosian expects the Karabakh conflict to be on the agenda during Clinton's talks with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan but does not expect any new American initiative.

A number of non governmental organisations in the region and beyond have appealed to Clinton to focus on human rights and democratisation during the visit.

Dennis Sammut, Director of the British organisation LINKS is somewhat more sanguine. In a comment to Commonspace.eu he said that "the visit is an attempt by Clinton to keep an American foot through the Caucasus door in the face of a revival of Russian attempts to portray the region as being within the Russian sphere of influence. Clinton will send a message to the three leaders that the United States seeks a qualitative improvement in its relations with them bilaterally and regionally. It also sends a message to Russia that the US intends to remain a key player and will not accept Russian hegemony in the region. A string of visits by senior European leaders to the region sends a similar message. It will be interesting to see how far each of the three leaders will respond to the American overtures."

source: commonspace.eu

photo: US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton (archive picture courtesy of the US State Department).

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged
Trending

Borrell tells the European Parliament that the situation in Afghanistan was critical, but the EU will remain engaged

9 June 2021
Borrell underlined that the European Union will make every effort to support the peace process and to remain a committed partner to the Afghan people. "Of course, we will have to take into account the evolving situation, but disengagement is not an option.  We are clear on that: there is no alternative to a negotiated political settlement, through inclusive peace talks.
Editor's choice
News
Tens of thousands of people protest in Georgia against "foreign agents" law
Trending

Tens of thousands of people protest in Georgia against "foreign agents" law

29 April 2024
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Sunday evening, to protest against a proposed law that would brand most of the country's civil society organisations as "foreign agents" for receiving financial support from overseas sources. With the government defiant, the country appears to be heading for one of its most acute political crisis in decades. The decision of the Georgian Dream government to defy the country’s president, opposition, civil society, and practically the entire international community, by re-introducing a controversial law which will categorise most civil society organisations as “foreign agents” has created a deep rift, with both sides adamant that they will take the issue “to the end” In the last few days, the streets of Tbilisi have been taken over by continuous mass rallies with the slogan “Yes to Europe, No to Russian Law”. Until last night protestors lacked a critical mass, but this has now changed. The protests are led mainly by youth and student organisations. The largely discredited Georgian opposition appears content to support the protests from behind.  So far there have been only a few incidents, but as the number of protestors grows, this can change very quickly. In the meantime, the government will today bring out its own supporters on the streets. The European Parliament last week called for sanctions against Georgian leaders, including the Honorary President and founder of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili. It is unlikely that the European Commission and European Council will do so yet, but this option is now seen not only as a distinct possibility, but as being inevitable if the Georgian government pushes ahead with the controversial law. Events on the ground will determine how fast things will move. Georgia faces difficult parliamentary elections in the autumn, but it seems the current crisis will come to a head before then.

Popular

Editor's choice
News
Tens of thousands of people protest in Georgia against "foreign agents" law
Trending

Tens of thousands of people protest in Georgia against "foreign agents" law

29 April 2024
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Sunday evening, to protest against a proposed law that would brand most of the country's civil society organisations as "foreign agents" for receiving financial support from overseas sources. With the government defiant, the country appears to be heading for one of its most acute political crisis in decades. The decision of the Georgian Dream government to defy the country’s president, opposition, civil society, and practically the entire international community, by re-introducing a controversial law which will categorise most civil society organisations as “foreign agents” has created a deep rift, with both sides adamant that they will take the issue “to the end” In the last few days, the streets of Tbilisi have been taken over by continuous mass rallies with the slogan “Yes to Europe, No to Russian Law”. Until last night protestors lacked a critical mass, but this has now changed. The protests are led mainly by youth and student organisations. The largely discredited Georgian opposition appears content to support the protests from behind.  So far there have been only a few incidents, but as the number of protestors grows, this can change very quickly. In the meantime, the government will today bring out its own supporters on the streets. The European Parliament last week called for sanctions against Georgian leaders, including the Honorary President and founder of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili. It is unlikely that the European Commission and European Council will do so yet, but this option is now seen not only as a distinct possibility, but as being inevitable if the Georgian government pushes ahead with the controversial law. Events on the ground will determine how fast things will move. Georgia faces difficult parliamentary elections in the autumn, but it seems the current crisis will come to a head before then.