Frozen conflict countries worried about Western bias, double standards

The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly discussed frozen conflicts. Moldova was there, but Transdniestria was not invited

BERLIN (Tiraspol Times) - Another failure, more deadlock and two days of bias, preconceived notions and double standards. Those were some of the reactions from four "fronzen conflict" areas to a conference held in Berlin on 05 and 06 November.

While the conference was supposedly about the disputed territories' future, the affected populations were not invited and their government representatives were not allowed to address the forum. Abkhazia, Transdniestria, South Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh saw this as proof of Europe's bias and hostility towards giving the freedom-seeking people a voice in their own future.

" - The European community is not ready give impartial assessment to frozen conflicts," Abkhazian Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba said when commenting on the Berlin hearings on frozen conflicts.

According to him, Europe’s lack of constructiveness is proved by the fact that no representatives of Abkhazia, Transdniestria, South Ossetia or Nagorno Karabakh were present at the Berlin conference.

Sergei Shamba

" - Such an approach can lead to bloodshed," he worried.

" - The unrecognized republics will continue pressing for recognition of their independence. It doesn’t matter whether South Caucasus representatives will hold discussions without participation of principal parties to conflict," he said.

Speaking to news agency Regnum, he also added that "the West is showing that it adheres to double standards."

Similar reactions were heard in Tiraspol, the capital of Transdniestria (Pridnestrovie). "They talk about us without hearing our opinions," said one resident, quoted by TV PMR. "They talk about us as if we don't matter, or if they just don't care. But this is our land, we are the only ones who live here. If anyone should have a say in our future, it should be us, the residents."

Same old, same old...

Among the countries that were allowed to be part of the conference, not everyone were happy with the approach of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly. Russia said that PACE again demonstrated a routine approach towards the frozen conflicts.

Konstantin Kosachev

" - Russia stands for discussion of frozen conflicts but it objects to a routine approach towards them," said Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Russian Parliament's committee on international affairs.

" - On the whole, the attempt to brainstorm on situations that trouble many European nations deserves appraisal. But it is quite another matter that PACE again demonstrated a routine approach toward frozen conflicts," the State Duma's Kosachev said.

Konstantin Kosachev added that any debate is limited to a discussion of such conflicts on the territory of the former USSR – Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transdniestria and Nagorno Karabakh. But this is too limited a scope, since there are similar problems on the Council of Europe's own home territory: Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and some others.

The Berlin conference on frozen conflicts was initiated by the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) Monitoring Committee and Institute for International and Security Affairs.

See also:
» Frozen conflict countries call Europe "undemocratic" for not hearing their side
» Unrecognized countries seek voice in conflict settlement talks
» PMR Parliament: "Unwise to solve Pridnestrovie’s issues from Chisinau"