The projected EU summit, scheduled to take place in Paris on September 1, is expected to chart a new path for the West-Russian relations in the wake of the Georgian crisis.

The conflict over Georgia has indeed set in motion a chain of reactions from both camps that ushered in tense relations between them. Moscow declared that it is reviewing its relationship with NATO, if not terminate it altogether, something that does not augur well for global peace and stability.

Western countries have threatened to obstruct Russia’s entry to the World Trade Organisation and to exclude it from the G-8 membership.

Unless these tit-for-tat reactions are contained, and soon, they threaten to increase and gain momentum in the weeks and months ahead.

The issue is no longer who is right or who is wrong. Most probably there is enough guilt to go around. The real challenge now before the EU leaders is how to stand up to the new challenges and dangers through statesmanship and creativity.

The two sides have enough common interests to them return to common sense and play by international rules to forge even stronger ties.

There is every reason to believe that the early reactions will be short-lived, as major powers are expected to be mature and sophisticated enough to avoid falling into the trap of short-term objectives.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will preside over the EU summit and can be expected to channel the deliberations positively. After all, he was the one who brokered the ceasfire in Georgia by travelling to Moscow for direct talks with the Russian leadership.

This means that the Russian leadership must also act with statesmanship and restraint, and not respond to mistakes with even bigger mistakes, thus exacerbating already tense relations with the West.

There must not be a return to the cold war era. This much the two sides are certainly aware of.