Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb 15 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva/
With a significant reduction in the U.S. budget, delivery of a sufficient number of arms to Georgia is problematic, the director of the Russian Center for Public and Political Research Vladimir Yevseyev told Trend on Wednesday. He was commenting on the results of meeting between Georgian and U.S. leaders.
Earlier, after talks with U.S. President Barack Obama in late January Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili stated that the Georgian-American military cooperation will enter a new phase and will be aimed at increasing the defense capability of the armed forces of Georgia.
The U.S. arms supply to Georgia, if such decision is made, will lead to destabilization of the situation in the Caucasus region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
Despite the complication of the U.S.-Russian relations, the U.S. will not create a threat to Russia, Yevseyev said.
"We have enough problems with the U.S. missile defense system deployment in Europe and if the U.S. created yet another threat, Russia would not compromise on issues important to Washington," he added.
For example, network of very important delivery of goods through Russia to Afghanistan, from where the significant part of arms should be withdrawn and that is difficult to make via Pakistan, taking into account the worsening of Washington-Islamabad relations, he said.
Russia and the United States may also cooperate on Iran, North Korea, and nuclear safety. If Washington would pursue an anti-Russian policy in the Caucasus, Russia will block the initiative of Moscow on some important issues for the United States, Yevseyev added.
"It is clear if weapons are supplied to Georgia, those people who wants to return to Abkhazia and South Ossetia by force will be thinking of revenge. The United States does not a want militarization round," he said.
Military actions were launched in the Georgian territory of South Ossetia on Aug. 8, 2008.Later Russian troops occupied the city of Tskhinvali and drove the Georgian military back. Russia then recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in late August. In response, Tbilisi broke off diplomatic relations with Moscow and announced the two unrecognized republics as occupied territories.