Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
The Georgian authorities continue sending ambiguous signals about the participation of their Olympic team in the Sochi Games 2014. Previously, the foreign minister Maya Pandzhikidze stated that rejection of a boycott of the Olympics was “a demonstration of the goodwill of the Georgian side and a sign of sincere striving for improvement of relations with our northern neighbor.” Tbilisi’s decision on taking part in the Games was appreciated by Russia.
However, recent statements have put the Russian-Georgian “Olympic peace” at risk. Pandzhikidze stated that if in Sochi “Georgia faces surprises and provocations, we will reconsider our previous decisions and discuss the reasonableness of continuing the policy of boycott rejection.”
The head of the Foreign Ministry meant accreditation of journalists from Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Accrediting forms are published on the website of the pan-European organization – the European Boadcasting Union. Abkhazia in the list of countries has the international code ABK; South Ossetia – YOS. Tbilisi traditionally blames Russia. And the addressee of the foreign minister’s protest is not the EBU, but the northern neighbor, which formally has no casting vote in the union.
Simultaneously, the National Olympic Committee of Georgia sent a wrathful letter to the International Olympic Committee demanding they “look into the matter.” However, the Georgian side didn’t receive a response from the headquarters in Lausanne, and it is clear. The EBU is an independent organization and doesn’t depend on the IOC. So at best the officials of the IOC redirected the letter to the EBU, but at worst the letter was thrown away. According to Vestnik Kavkaza’s information, a similar letter was sent from Tbilisi to the EBU, but there was no response either.
It seems the Georgian authorities will have to react to a situation which is widely discussed in the mass media. The special envoy of the Georgian premier on improvement of relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, tried to calm down society by pointing to the fact that Abkhazia and South Ossetia “couldn’t take part in the Olympics as independent states.” Who is to say? Nobody even thought about it; the point is the accreditation of journalists who represent states recognized by Russia and several other countries and unrecognized by the majority of members of the IOC.
If “promotion” of the topic continues (in the pre-election period), Ivanishvili’s government could face a difficult situation. What can be an alternative to a boycott of the Olympics? It seems the Foreign Ministry of Georgia doesn’t consider other options.
However, the position of the Georgian authorities causes bewilderment among most independent observers. Firstly, it is not clear why responsibility for the EBU’s decision is put on Russia. Secondly, the government of Ivanishvili recently stated that the policy of a boycott which was provided by the former authorities was “stupid and short-sighted.” But under certain circumstances they are ready to revive the policy. Thirdly, only Georgian athletes will suffer from the boycott, they won three licenses to Sochi-2014.
However, these reasons will unlikely be key in decision making. And it is not clear who will make the decisions. Premier Ivanishvili leaves politics right after the presidential elections and the future of the government is dim.
