The Washington Post has recently published a declaration by the former
US ambassador to NATO, Kurt Volker, that Abkhazia may be returned to
Georgia with the help of the Olympic Games 2014. Volker proposed
boycotting the Olympics, firstly by using diplomacy and then sport.
Volker believes that Moscow is more interested in a successful
Olympics than in the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and
thus it can be forced to reconsider its position.
At the same time Time magazine published an article about security at
the Sochi Olympic Games. They expressed doubts about the ability of
the Russian authorities to keep the situation in the south of the
country in order. The article was motivated by the terrorist attacks
in Stavropol. It became clear that, although Russia has divided the
south into peaceful, secure regions attractive to investors and the
explosive South Caucasian Federal District, the West still considers
this separation as a single region. Nonetheless, the International
Olympic Committee is actively supporting the Games in Sochi: “The
local authorities of cities hosting Olympic Games are responsible for
security. We have no doubts that Russia will fulfil this goal”. But
“as the year 2014 gets closer, other countries will keep close tabs on
the threats their athletes may face in Sochi. If a large country
refuses to participate, this can start a ‘chain reaction’. There are
many dangerous moments and this terrorist attack demonstrated that we
are not prepared for them. It would be easy to ditch the Olympics or,
at least, demonstrate to sportsmen that they are exposed to risks”,
the director of Russian and Asian programs at the US Institute of
Security Nikolay Zlobin said.
Russia has not bothered much about a possible boycott. Approximately
two thirds of Internet users voting on the GZT.ru site said that they
will not boycott the Olympic Games in Sochi-2014. Nonetheless, 34%
believe that anything may happen and propose counter or preventive
measures. 13% proposed cooperating with western countries, 11% to use
economic powers from within Russian energy resources supply. 10% see a
need for improving cooperation between the USA and European countries.
Few people believe in the ability of the West to use the Olympic Games
to solve geopolitical problems, as Kurt Volker proposed. On the
contrary, today Russia and Abkhazia are strengthening
political-economic cooperation. The Abkhaz leader, Serhey Bagapsh,
told ITAR-TASS that they may open direct flights between Moscow and
Sukhumi in July. At first they plan two flights per week using Russian
Air Force passenger planes taking off from Chkalovskiy airport.
The Commander of Military-Transport aviation, Victor Kachalkin,
affirmed this information, declaring: “In August 2008 we had such
flights. We had dozens of flights transporting forces to aid Abkhazia.
We flew and we will fly, if such an objective arises we are ready to
fulfill it”.
The airport of Babushar, located 18 km away from Sukhumi, is capable
of receiving 5 thousand passengers daily. It was built in the 1960s
but was shut down due to the Georgian-Abkhaz military conflict. Until
recently, the airport was only used by Russian peacekeepers, civil
flights were carried out from the village of Pskhu in the Sukhumi
region. The airplane of the Russian Foreign Minister was the first
civil plane in many years to land at Sukhumi airport in September
2008.
Georgian media note that Tbilisi will do everything to prevent Russian
planes from flying to Sukhumi. The International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) said that “any flights of civil air companies
between Russia and occupied Abkhazia are illegal”. Now Russia has
found a solution and entrusted the military to carry out flights.
Yekaterina Tesemnikova exclusively for VK
