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The World From Berlin

'Russia Made a Tactical Error'

Russia hoped the Shanghai Cooperation Organization would prove more pliable. But the six-member group refused to back the Kremlin's latest moves in Georgia -- leaving Russia high and dry on the world stage.

On Thursday, Russia hit its first real speed bump since its invasion of Georgia in early August. At a six-nation summit in Tajikistan, Russia's neighbors refused to support its recognition of the breakaway Georgian republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Founded in 2004, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization counts Russia, China, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as members. The Kremlin hoped the group's support would lend legitimacy to its actions in the Caucasus and its diplomatic recognition of two Georgian provinces.

But China resisted Russia's move, stressing the importance of territorial integrity. Though the group gave its blessing to "the active role of Russia in assisting peace and security in the region," it took a much dimmer view of granting statehood to two tiny separatist republics.

"The SCO states express grave concern in connection with the recent tensions around the South Ossetia issue and urge the sides to solve existing problems peacefully, through dialogue, and to make efforts facilitating reconciliation and talks,” reads the summit’s final declaration.

German papers see the statement as a defeat for Russia -- and a sign of China's growing strength.

The left-wing daily Die Tageszeitung argues:

"Russia's burning bridges all over the place these days. One can't disrespect one's friends any more openly than this. Recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia puts Russian President Medvedev at odds with the principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional security group made up of China, Russia and four Central Asian nations. In 2004, the SCO declared terrorism and separatism to be threats on the same level, and promised to fight against both. China, most of all, was worried about claims by Taiwan, Tibet and the Uighurs in its western provinces."

"Without consulting its partners in the SCO, Russia violated these principles -- and presented its despotic partners in the organization with a fait accompli. At the summit in Tajikistan on Thursday, Russia expected its regional allies to officially recognize the independence of the Georgian provinces."

"But as recently as the SCO summit in 2007, Putin said that the time for unilateral action was over -- words which he apparently meant only for the US."

"Putin and Medvedev need to reckon with a resurgent China in Central Asia, one which has already broken Russia's pipeline monopoly. And unlike the EU, China has economic and political weight -- something the Kremlin apparently hasn't given much thought to until now."

The Financial Times Deutschland writes:

"From the Russian leadership's point of view, the last two weeks have been a string of successes. They easily won a popular war against their hated neighbor Georgia. The EU and the USA have scattered like a bunch of scared chickens, and the Kremlin could enjoy its new power."

"But now it looks like Russia made a tactical error by recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which brings China and Russia together, refused to give Russia its blessing. China instead voiced 'grave concern in connection with the recent tensions around the South Ossetia issue' -- an icy rejection of Russia's move."

"The war itself found little resistance outside the EU and the US. But officially recognizing separatists is like spitting in the soup of governments all over the world. Lots of countries contain minorities who dream of independence. Encouraging them with unilateral diplomatic action isn't a good way to make friends."

And the financial paper Handelsblatt said:

"Nyet to violence in Georgia, no to the violation of another country's territorial integrity: the presidents of China and four other Central Asian nations couldn't have been more clear. For Russian President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin it was a decisive political defeat. Moscow hoped for support and solidarity from the SCO. Instead it got a slap in the face."

"And Medvedev and Putin should get ready for more headaches. Russia's been trying to build up the SCO as a counterweight to NATO for years, hoping to combat the influence of the US and NATO in Central Asia. Russia had assumed it would take a leading role in the organization. The SCO was going to be the foundation for a wider geopolitical power play on Moscow's part. But after the chilly renunciation it got in Tajikistan, it might as well give up both of those goals. …"

"The fear of Russia's new expansionism isn't just bringing Europe together. It could push Moscow's one-time allies away as well. China in particular has very different goals for the SCO than Russia: Beijing sees it more as a way to guarantee access to raw materials than as a bulwark against the West. A new military alliance in Central Asia may stay just a Russian dream for now."

-- Andrew Curry, 12:30 pm CET