By Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
Foreign diplomats have been invited for sessions of the Foreign Ministry and the government in Tbilisi over a few days to discuss the new Russian-Abkhaz alliance and integration agreement. The document has caused a stormy reaction in Georgia, allowing ambitious politicians to speak out. Defense Minister Irakly Alasania is one of them. He was especially categorical in evaluating the unsigned project before it even came into force.
After the session of the Security and Crisis Control Council of the prime minister, the defense minister told journalists: “The response of Georgia to the agreement will be aggressively active.” Alasania did not define “active” in the diplomatic, international or defense spheres.
The Russian-Abkhaz “conspiracy” became a catalyst for important processes in the coalition. Irakly Alasania heads the popular Free Democrats Party, some of his closest supporters and party members hold key posts in the Cabinet: State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alexiy Petriashvili (an old diplomatic colleague), Foreign Minister Maya Panjikidze (sister of Alasania’s wife), Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani (another leader of Free Democrats).
Party colleagues have been supporting the decisive disposition of the party. Alexiy Petriashvili proposed an end to the Russian-Georgian dialogue in the form of meetings of Special Envoy of Georgian PM Zurab Abashidze and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin. Maya Panjikidze called it an attempt to finally annexe Georgian territory.
The issue was discussed at the Security Council of the prime minister, not the National Security Council of the president. President Margvelashvili set a session of the National Security Council for October 28 with the same agenda in the context of discords with Prime Minister Garibashvili, who has been skipping the sessions. There seem to be no prerequisites for a change of position in discussing the important issue.
What can Tbilisi really do, besides making clarion statements about “aggressive responses?” So far, there have only been several rounds of talks with diplomats in Georgia. Georgian Ambassador to the U.S. Archil Gegeshidze was urgently summoned, given instructions for promotion of the Georgian view on the events in the region. Other ambassadors of Western states and international organizations received similar instructions.
The reaction of Western capitals has been quite weak so far. The reasons are clear. Firstly, the Russian-Abkhaz agreement, despite all the ballyhoo around the document, has not been signed, it has only been published. Secondly, the U.S. and the EU cannot even settle the situation around Ukraine, and the Georgian problem has been put away since 2008-2009. Besides, the new Russian-Abkhaz agreement changes nothing in the current regional balance of forces.
The Georgian authorities are hardly likely to break off relations with Russia: Special Envoy Abashidze confirmed readiness for new meetings with Deputy Foreign Minister Karasin, Georgian products are still exported to the Russian market, Tbilisi keeps declaring commitment to the Sarkozy-Medvedev agreement of August 2008.
The scandal around the foreign political problem highlighted processes in the ruling coalition: further strengthening of Alasania’s team and the “nervousness” of other Georgian politicians over the issue in the context of the next parliamentary elections set for the autumn of 2016. The activeness of Alasania and his party members shows that they have information about a possible dissolution of parliament and a declaration of the next parliamentary polls.
How Georgian politicians use foreign political arguments for internal strugglesBy Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik KavkazaForeign diplomats have been invited for sessions of the Foreign Ministry and the government in Tbilisi over a few days to discuss the new Russian-Abkhaz alliance and integration agreement. The document has caused a stormy reaction in Georgia, allowing ambitious politicians to speak out. Defense Minister Irakly Alasania is one of them. He was especially categorical in evaluating the unsigned project before it even came into force.After the session of the Security and Crisis Control Council of the prime minister, the defense minister told journalists: “The response of Georgia to the agreement will be aggressively active.” Alasania did not define “active” in the diplomatic, international or defense spheres.The Russian-Abkhaz “conspiracy” became a catalyst for important processes in the coalition. Irakly Alasania heads the popular Free Democrats Party, some of his closest supporters and party members hold key posts in the Cabinet: State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alexiy Petriashvili (an old diplomatic colleague), Foreign Minister Maya Panjikidze (sister of Alasania’s wife), Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani (another leader of Free Democrats).Party colleagues have been supporting the decisive disposition of the party. Alexiy Petriashvili proposed an end to the Russian-Georgian dialogue in the form of meetings of Special Envoy of Georgian PM Zurab Abashidze and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin. Maya Panjikidze called it an attempt to finally annexe Georgian territory.The issue was discussed at the Security Council of the prime minister, not the National Security Council of the president. President Margvelashvili set a session of the National Security Council for October 28 with the same agenda in the context of discords with Prime Minister Garibashvili, who has been skipping the sessions. There seem to be no prerequisites for a change of position in discussing the important issue.What can Tbilisi really do, besides making clarion statements about “aggressive responses?” So far, there have only been several rounds of talks with diplomats in Georgia. Georgian Ambassador to the U.S. Archil Gegeshidze was urgently summoned, given instructions for promotion of the Georgian view on the events in the region. Other ambassadors of Western states and international organizations received similar instructions.The reaction of Western capitals has been quite weak so far. The reasons are clear. Firstly, the Russian-Abkhaz agreement, despite all the ballyhoo around the document, has not been signed, it has only been published. Secondly, the U.S. and the EU cannot even settle the situation around Ukraine, and the Georgian problem has been put away since 2008-2009. Besides, the new Russian-Abkhaz agreement changes nothing in the current regional balance of forces.The Georgian authorities are hardly likely to break off relations with Russia: Special Envoy Abashidze confirmed readiness for new meetings with Deputy Foreign Minister Karasin, Georgian products are still exported to the Russian market, Tbilisi keeps declaring commitment to the Sarkozy-Medvedev agreement of August 2008.The scandal around the foreign political problem highlighted processes in the ruling coalition: further strengthening of Alasania’s team and the “nervousness” of other Georgian politicians over the issue in the context of the next parliamentary elections set for the autumn of 2016. The activeness of Alasania and his party members shows that they have information about a possible dissolution of parliament and a declaration of the next parliamentary pol
