Thomas de Waal: It is time to shatter myths about South Caucasus

The belief that Russia and U.S. possess powers in decision making in the South Caucasus region is a myth, said Thomas de Waal, the US analyst, senior expert at the Carnegie Endowment Foundation at the presentation of his new book “The Caucasus” in Washington DC.

Mr. de Waal mentioned that the reason why he authored this book is that he wanted the Western auditorium to get to know the new region better.

“There are some other myths concerning this region. If the Western powers don’t know about the past and current realities of the South Caucasus region, then they can’t influence the adjustment of the blowing conflicts of the region”, - he pointed out.

According to the analyst, it’s time to break the myths. “There are some opinions here that believe that South Caucasus is the artificial geographical place created by Russia. This is not true. The peoples of these countries have their own special political cultures, they can manage themselves. The difference of the 21 century South Caucasus is that it’s no longer a colony; it has three independent countries which have independent governance.

Speaking about South Caucasus’ future, the analyst mentioned that the Nagorno-Karabakh and other conflicts should be resolved so that the region prospers.


/APA/