|
| Success of Obama visit hinges on meeting with Putin |
| Press Trust of India / Moscow Jul 06, 2009, 16:48 IST |
|
The success of US president Barack Obama's first visit to Russia will largely depend on the outcome of his crucial meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and not during his parlays with President Dimitry Medvedev, an expert has said.
"There should be no illusions about where ultimate decision-making authority in Russia resides today. The "tandem" is a fiction, of course," a top Russia expert Andrew Kuchins cautioned.
"Obama must operate under the assumption that on any issue of importance to him - from nuclear arms reductions to Afghanistan to Iran - the ultimate arbiter for Russian policy is Putin," Kuchins said.
"Prime Minister Putin still has a lot of sway in Russia. And I think it's important that even as we move forward with President Medvedev, Putin understands that the old Cold War approaches to the US-Russia relations are out of date," Obama had said ahead of his three-day visit.
Putin responded saying that by abandoning Cold War bloc mentality and lifting 1972 Jackson-Vanick amendment curbing trade with ex-USSR should be lifted to move forward in bilateral relations. This does not mean that meeting with Medvedev today is a waste of time, but it must be assumed that every position taken by Medvedev has been blessed by his mentor. Obama must also harbour no illusion that the United States can take measures in Moscow to empower Medvedev or his Western-leaning colleagues in the government.
Even before Obama's arrival here, Putin and US president exchanged 'pleasantries' through the media adding extra suspense to their tomorrow's meeting over breakfast.
Obama has said he believes Putin has "one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new." "We don't know how to keep legs apart, we firmly stand on our feet and always look to the future," Putin said responding to Obama's remarks about him. The first challenge presented by the Putin-Medvedev "tandemocracy" has to do with summit protocol.
To bypass the issue, the Kremlin has declared Obama's visit a 'working visit' so that Putin need not be present a various protocol 'photo-op' ceremonies.
As Obama arrived in the town, Putin left for the southern Rostov region to inspect agriculture farms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Read Business news in |  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertisements |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Content Guide
