Ankara`s Caucasus union plan premature, US senator says
Turkey failed to consult with the United States while making a
recent proposal to set up a Caucasus union, a senior US lawmaker
said.
"Discussions on the initiative should be postponed, at least until Russia fully withdraws from Georgia," said US Senate, Richard Lugar, the Republican leader of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who visited Ankara as part of his two-week tour of Europe.
Lugar said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev`s decision on August 26 to recognize the independence of Georgia`s rebel regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia does nothing to improve the situation in the region.
"Georgia`s territorial integrity is pivotal for us," the senator added.
Following a brief war between Russia and Georgia earlier this month, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to set up a five-nation union called the Caucasus Peace and Cooperation Platform. He has visited Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan to hold preliminary talks on the issue.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Vladimir Titov, and his Turkish counterpart, Unal Cevikoz, recently discussed ways of implementing the plan in Moscow.
"Discussions on the initiative should be postponed, at least until Russia fully withdraws from Georgia," said US Senate, Richard Lugar, the Republican leader of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who visited Ankara as part of his two-week tour of Europe.
Lugar said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev`s decision on August 26 to recognize the independence of Georgia`s rebel regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia does nothing to improve the situation in the region.
"Georgia`s territorial integrity is pivotal for us," the senator added.
Following a brief war between Russia and Georgia earlier this month, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to set up a five-nation union called the Caucasus Peace and Cooperation Platform. He has visited Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan to hold preliminary talks on the issue.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Vladimir Titov, and his Turkish counterpart, Unal Cevikoz, recently discussed ways of implementing the plan in Moscow.
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