VOA标准英语2008年-US Envoy Says Interests of Former Soviet States

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
04 June 2008

Russia's relations with independent countries that once formed the Soviet¹ Union have often been contentious², and Moscow's efforts to exert influence in the region have also led to tensions with the West, particularly as NATO has taken in new members from the former Soviet sphere of influence. A senior U.S. diplomat³ visiting Moscow is urging Russia to take a more hands off approach with former Soviet states, arguing that giving them freedom to conduct their foreign and economic affairs will, in the end, benefit Russia more. VOA Moscow Correspondent Peter Fedynsky has this report.
　

David Merkel

David Merkel is a new Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, having assumed duties for European and Eurasian affairs in March. Besides Russia, his diplomatic portfolio⁴ includes Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and regional non-proliferation issues.

Merkel underscores the sovereign right of each former Soviet republic to conduct its own domestic and foreign policy. He notes that U.S. interests in the area, which Moscow refers to as its "near abroad," do not collide with Russia's.

"I think Russia would be in a better place with some of its neighbors if it recognized that they have interests in developing greater relationships with the European Union, with the United States, with China, with other countries," he said.

The United States supports ongoing⁵ efforts by the governments of Ukraine and Georgia to develop closer ties with NATO, despite opposition⁶ not only by Moscow, but also by a majority of people in Ukraine. David Merkel recognizes such opposition, but says NATO convinced skeptics in other Eastern European countries that eventually joined the alliance. He adds that NATO would help bring stability and prosperity to the borders of Russia, which would benefit Moscow.

"It's interesting when you look at previous NATO aspirants⁷ that are now members. In every case, Russian trade with these countries increased - Bulgaria, Romania - there are a number of different examples," he said.
　

Alexander Konovalov

However, independent Russian political analyst⁸ Alexander Konovalov attributes better trade to better economic policies, not to membership in a military alliance. He also warns that Georgia's entry into NATO could further exacerbate⁹ tensions in the country's breakaway Abkhazia region, triggering a domino effect of separatism in other volatile¹⁰ areas of the Caucasus that belong to Russia, such as Chechnya and Ingushetia.

Konovalov says Moscow is concerned that Ukrainian membership in NATO could be accompanied by the Schengen Agreement on movement of people and goods across borders of the European Union. That agreement, he says, could tighten¹¹ the Russian-Ukrainian frontier and hurt people on both sides who rely on existing trade links between the two countries.

Konovalov says if Ukraine is quickly dragged into NATO or if it drifts in that direction too soon, Russian-Ukrainian trade links will begin to break. He says the process of drawing Ukraine closer to the West should be synchronized¹² with a similar process of drawing Russia closer to the West, taking care not to disrupt ties between Ukraine and Russia.

Konovalov agrees with David Merkel's observation that economic development is linked to civic¹³ values such as equal application of the law, sanctity of contracts, and low corruption¹⁴, because they underpin¹⁵ investor¹⁶ confidence. However, Konovalov says the connection is not obvious to people raised in the Soviet Union. A solution, he says, is to encourage private property.

The analyst says the more owners there are the more people will understand that much depends on them. He says they need to know that their property won't be taken away, and if there is a problem, they should be able to prove ownership in a court of law.

Merkel notes the importance of the law on an international level, particularly in energy distribution, which affects Russia as a supplier, Europe as a consumer and Ukraine as a transit¹⁷ state.

"We in the U.S. want to work closely with the European Union to make Ukraine a more transparent¹⁸ transit for energy - where there is not opportunity for diversion of gas - and an efficient transit for the hydrocarbons¹⁹ from Russia to Europe," he said.

David Merkel praises cooperation with Moscow on weapons non-proliferation and also welcomes the support of Russia and Ukraine in the resolution of tensions in the Transdnistria area of Moldova. At the same time, the American diplomat says criminal investigations²⁰ into the unsolved murders of journalists should remain a top law enforcement priority in Russia, Ukraine and other post-Soviet states.

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

3 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

4 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 aspirants   

n.有志向或渴望获得…的人( aspirant的名词复数 )v.渴望的，有抱负的，追求名誉或地位的( aspirant的第三人称单数 )；有志向或渴望获得…的人

参考例句：

• aspirants to the title of world champion 有志夺取世界冠军的人
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out. 考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

10 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

11 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

12 synchronized   

同步的

参考例句：

• Do not use the synchronized keyword in Managed Objects. 不要在管理对象上使用synchronized关键字。 来自互联网
• The timing of the gun was precisely synchronized with the turning of the plane's propeller. 风门的调速与飞机螺旋桨的转动精确同步。 来自辞典例句

13 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

14 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

15 underpin   

v.加固，支撑

参考例句：

• China needs regional stability to underpin its continued economic growth.中国需要地区稳定来巩固其持续的经济增长。
• These developments are underpinned by solid progress in heavy industry.重工业的稳固发展为这些进展打下了基础。

16 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

17 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

18 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

19 hydrocarbons   

n.碳氢化合物，烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样，为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句

20 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。