Russia’s actions in the Georgia spy row have damaged its credibility as a neutral peacekeeper in the EU’s Black Sea neighbourhood, EU South Caucasus envoy Peter Semneby told EUobserver – but the bloc is not willing to become a formal player in conflict resolution in the region.

“Recent events have added weight to the Georgian argument that Russia is not a neutral participant in the peacekeeping arrangements and negotiation formats [for Georgian separarist regions]…that the current status quo is not tenable, that in fact it’s not a status quo but is gradually deteriorating,” Mr Semneby stated.

Russia in the past two weeks shut borders with Georgia and imposed economic sanctions, as well as expelling ethnic-Georgian citizens and harassing ethnic-Georgian schools, businesses and churches in retaliation for Tbilisi’s arrest of four Russian officers on spy charges.

But the real reason behind Moscow’s actions is an attempt to topple the pro-EU Georgian government, Tbilisi says, with Russia’s support for the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia at the heart of its strategy.

The regions tore away from Georgia 15 years ago, with Russian “peacekeeping” troops still stationed in the territories and with Russian diplomats dominating formal peace talks as potshots are traded across the borders on a daily basis.

“It’s something that we here in Brussels are very worried about,” Mr Semneby said on the prospect of open war in the area, which could spread to the Russian North Caucasus regions of Dagestan and Ingushetia.

“Russia in its relationship with Georgia, as a former imperial metropolis, has perhaps the larger responsibility for reaching out to Georgia,” he explained.