Russia’s geopolitical influence in South Caucasus is highly overstated, Russian expert says

YEKATERINBURG, May 16./ARKA/. The geopolitical influence of Russia in  the South Caucasus is highly exaggerated, and Moscow  has no “imperialist ambitions” over the region, General Director of the Political Conjuncture Center, Sergey Mikheev  said at the IV Eurasian Youth Economic Forum. 

The deployment of Russia’s one military base in Armenia doesn’t mean Moscow has an influence in  the region. 

“It [the influence] is, let’s say, is illusionary, the same is with the Russian base deployed in Kyrgyzstan, for instance. It is more likely to be a symbol rather than some real geopolitical influence,” he said. 

The expert highlighted Russia has no any “imperial project” and the related ideology, Moscow is simply at odds  with the U.S. concept of unipolar world. 

 “Russia doesn’t have any global ideology concept today, because by pulling down  the USSR we have voluntarily offered to the West to play at the new rules, we refuse from a global ideology, we reject the foreign expansion in exchange  for equal partnership. The West, I think, has unfortunately missed this historical opportunity, demonstrating itself in the 90s as a teacher who grasps a ruler and hits the heads of its negligent pupils with it. That’s why, accusing Russia of imperial ambitions is just a long fading echo of the USSR which is used in order to move away from discussing some real issues,” he noted, Novosti-Armenia reports. 

Mikheev also said, of course, Russia has its own foreign interests which first of all relate to the neighbor states. 

“In contrast to the Americans, we don’t have any foreign interests in Africa, Asia and the other part of the world, we have already refused from these interests. It seems to you we are still trying to figure out who was right in the USSR, who has occupied the other. In fact, the matter is our common survival in the 21st century while one of the global centers is promoting the concept of unipolar world. Both, we and you will have to be dominated. And we are not ok with this role. If our interests are common, we just suggest that we should work together in the future,” he resumed. —0-