Saakashvili’s European speech

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili had the rare honour of addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg for the second time. And this exquisitely composed speech gives one an idea as to why the West continues to support Saakashvili, even though Europe and the US are now interested in developing their relations with Russia. The Georgian President operates within the basic notions of Western civilization and speaks the European language. He presents all the necessary accents to be heard by his western colleagues - even winning their applause, and thus achieving his political goal.

Mr Saakashvili began his speech in Polish, in honour of the President of European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, and thus gained the support of the ‘new European’ leaders, who share his perspective on their ex-patron. The main idea of Saakashvili’s address was that the Cold War is not over, as small democratic countries continue to strive for their independence in the face of their giant neighbour.

According to the Georgian President, Russia tried to wreck Georgia’s modernization with the invasion of 2008 and hostile forces are trying to hamper the modernization of a whole region that used to be a ‘union’ of corrupt and underdeveloped societies. He stressed that Georgian efforts against corruption are extremely successful. Saakashvili made a solemn promise not to use force against ‘Russian occupying troops’, but he also declared that he doesn’t recognize his predecessor’s politics of trilateral relations between Russia, Georgia and the Georgian autonomies, and that there is only one possible way for negotiations – bilateral, between Russia and Georgia. Thus, there is no such thing as a ‘Georgian-Ossetian’ or a ‘Georgian-Abkhazian conflict’, there is only a Georgian-Russian conflict, and the Georgian side is ready to negotiate whenever and wherever its opponent wants.

As for the sceptical attitude of some politicians towards the possibility of Caucasian elites settling their differences on their own, Saakashvili cited (in French) the words of Victor Hugo, who foresaw European unity in 1849, when Europe was torn by wars and conflicts.

The Georgian president then depicted the ‘Five Day War’ as an attempt to stop ‘Georgia’s journey towards Europe’, and described the horrors of the war and the cruelties of occupying troops, appealing to European respect for ordinary people’s lives, without giving cold numbers.

After these descriptions, Saakashvili’s statement that the Georgian side is ready to negotiate whenever and wherever its opponent wants puts European countries on Georgia’s side, as Russia remains silent and refuses to negotiate with the ‘war criminal’ Saakashvili. The fact that the so-called ‘political criminal’ is invited to address the European Assembly casts his Russian opponents in pretty bad light. And if Russia neglects to hold talks with a political leader who has met with the US President and addressed the EU Parliament, the West will take it as a sign of Russia’s disapproval of European principles of co-existence.

The Georgian President managed to give an impression of a western-oriented politician who is ready to compromise, while in fact he doesn’t intend to make any concessions on the most vital issues of the ‘Russian-Georgian agenda’, such as Russia’s entrance into the WTO or the non-aggression treaty with Abkhazia and South Ossetia or Georgia’s NATO aspirations.

Georgy Kalatozisvili, Tbilisi, exclusively to VK.