Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to VK
Recently another Georgian soldier was killed in Afghanistan. According to the Defense Ministry, sergeant Valerian Khudzhadze tripped a mine during patrolling of the territory in Helmand Province where the Georgian military contingent is deployed. The body of the deceased sergeant has been transported to Georgia. His family will get “the social package,” i.e. $18,000 in compensation. Since November 2009, when Georgia joined the ISAF operation, 16 Georgian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. The base where the Georgian troops are deployed is named after the first victim – Lieutenant Mukhran Shukvani – who died on September 5th, 2009.
The number of injured soldiers amounts to dozens. Most of them along with American soldiers are sent to rehabilitation to US military hotels. Some of them have been visited by the former and current presidents of the USA, as well as the first lady. These demonstrative meetings are widely broadcast by the Georgian mass media. Probably the professional PR campaign is one of the reasons why society doesn’t take an active stand against enhancement of the Georgian contingent in Afghanistan, which is far from Georgia in all senses. The second reason is even more important: only soldiers under contract are sent to Afghanistan, and anyone can refuse. However, in this case he should break the contract and withdraw from the army. President Saakashvili stated that “the army should protect the interests of the country,” and soldiers in Afghanistan act in Georgia’s interests, according to him.
Many people argue with this thesis, as despite the great contingent (in comparison with the population) sent to Afghanistan, Georgia is still not a member of NATO. Soon the contingent will be extended from 937 to 1675 soldiers. It is the biggest contingent among all the countries that are not members of NATO and one of the major contingents among the members of the alliance. However, the majority of NATO members think that Georgia’s accession to the alliance would destroy the system of relations with Russia.
Responding to the arguments of their opponents on the inanity of participation in the Afghan operation, activists of the ruling party United National Movement say that NATO membership is necessary for the country for gaining security guarantees, while the participation of Georgia in ISAF makes the alliance consider Georgia's problems attentively. The political and expert circles of the country are discussing an opinion, according to which Russia is not satisfied with results of the war of 2008 and plans to occupy the whole of Georgia, overthrow those in power and establish permanent instability on the borders with Abkhazia and South Ossetia to promote a decreasing investment climate and social depression.
This opinion can be heard from various politicians and political scientists. The authorities draw their attention to the fact that, after the beginning of the participation of Georgia in ISAF, violation of air space by Russian military aircraft stopped. It is difficult to say whether this is connected with signals from Brussels to Moscow or not. But the fact exists.
That is why the Georgian authorities do not think about cancelling participation in the Afghan operation. The contingent is growing and it might reach 5 thousand soldiers. The foreign minister, Grigory Vashadze, admitted that the Georgian troops could stay in Afghanistan after 2014, when the NATO operation will come to an end. His statement coincided with the initiative by the US defense minister Leon Panetta, who said that the American military presence in Afghanistan will remain after the end of the NATO operation. It is not beneficial for the USA to stay there alone, and they are interested even in a formal presence of contingents of other countries in Afghanistan.
