Giorgi Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The Minister of Economic Development of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who is thought to be one of the most powerful members of the government, stated that his ministry “would check in detail” the compliance with Georgian laws of the agreement between Petrocas Energy Group, a company which belonged to David Yakobashvili, and Rosneft on selling 49% of Petrocas and the Poti oil terminal to the Russian energy giant.
Kvirikashvili’s statement was a response to heavy protests from the opposition, which blamed the authorities for “selling the interests of the country” and giving “the vitally important oil terminal” to a Russian state corporation, i.e. the Russian state.
Formally, the Georgian government has nothing in common with the deal between Petrocas Energy Group and Rosneft and has no leverages to cancel the contract, which is demanded by supporters of the former president Saakashvili in his party of the United National Movement. However, considering all the difficulties in Russian-Georgian relations, political motivation may be involved in the economic issue.
Of course, the government has no right to order two business groups how they should effect a deal on redistribution of assets; even if these assets are situated in Georgia and are strategically important for it (for example, the huge terminal in Poti). However, if the deal contradicts Georgian laws or one of the sides breaks some Georgian laws, the authorities are able to reject registration of the deal between Petrocas and Rosneft in the National Register Service. It is equal to a cancellation of the deal as, unlike Rosneft, Petrocas pays taxes to the Georgian budget, i.e. it is controlled by the fiscal bodies of Georgia.
It is a typical story for the post-Soviet space – “one needs a desire only to find a reason.” The opposition has already found the “reason.” Rosneft is actively working in Abkhazia, breaking the Law on Occupied Territories. According to the law, the Georgian government has a right to seize the property of Russian companies which violate the law.
It seems Minister Kvirikashvili hinted at this, speaking about “checking the deal.” However, according to information of Vestnik Kavkaza, the government hasn’t taken any steps yet, and the process of registration of the contract is going on normally.
At the same time, it is interesting that Premier Irakli Garibashvili has made a very heavy statement, after a meeting with one of his European colleagues, that Tbilisi “doesn’t feel mutuality” from Moscow, as Georgia tries to normalize relations and consider Russian interests, including thr interests of Russian state companies. “Despite our constructive efforts, we see inappropriate steps by the RF,” the Georgian Prime Minister stated, alluding to the signed Agreement on Alliance and Strategic Partnership between Moscow and Abkhazia and development of a similar agreement with South Ossetia.
However, it is unlikely to stop Moscow from providing its strategic course on separation of the two directions of its Caucasus policy – the Georgian one and the Abkhaz-South-Ossetian one. Russia won’t stop cooperation with Georgia, as if there is no problem of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and won’t stop cooperation of the recognized republics, as if there is no Georgia.
Moscow, which attentively follows tge development of the situation over Rosneft, has made it clear how it would respond to the loyalty of the Georgian government toward the Russian energy company. Despite the operation of the Eurasian Economic Union Agreement, Georgian agricultural products still come to the Russian market freely. Recently Rosselkhoznadzor gave the green light to an important component of Georgian exports to the RF – herbs and various Georgian spices – for the first time since 2006 they will be available in Moscow and other Russian cities. And one shouldn’t laugh about it: exports of herbs to Russia means thousands of jobs in depressed regions of Western Georgia.
