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Daily Georgian Times, Georgia
March 10 2007
Has Putin Downgraded Sergey Ivanov?
`Georgia does not owe anything to Armenia,' says Ramaz Sakvarelidze
Russian President Putin's decision to appoint Sergey Ivanov
Vice-Premier of Russia prompted analogies with Georgian President
Saakashvili's move when he re-assigned Defense Minister Irakli
Okruashvili to the Ministry of Economy. The Georgian Times asked
Ramaz Sakvarelidze, an independent political expert and a former
foreign affairs adviser to President Saakashvili, to comment on
Ivanov's reassignment.
Q: What was the rationale behind the cabinet shuffle in Russia? Would
you assess it as [Ivanov's] advancement or downgrading?
A: The whole world would like to weigh in on it. No one has the exact
answer. I think Putin got rid of him. Ivanov had a rising political
rating and perhaps he would lay claim to Russia's presidency, whether
or not it complied with Putin's preferences. Ivanov's policy was
based on the so-called `hawks'' policy - or forceful methods in
politics. This ran counter to Putin's political track.
Putin's policy is also based on aggression, but it is built on
economic levers. Putin has taken a step that may seem pretty familiar
to us: he reassigned a high-rated Defense Minister to a position
which is honorable but also less popular. In his place, Putin
appointed the Chief of Tax Authorities, who may uncover some
financial disorders in the Defense Ministry and thus fund evidence of
Ivanov's criminal accountability.
On the other hand, the appointment of the Tax Authorities Chief to
the Defense Structure suggests the ministry is going to lose its high
profile. Ivanov slipped out of control - he was leading an
independent policy that did not fully coincide with that of Putin.
Q: Should we blame Ivanov's `independent playing' for contributing to
tensions between Tbilisi and Moscow?
A: Certainly, the Defense Ministry has done the lion's share in
deteriorating Georgian-Russian relations.
Q: Do you mean the Georgian Defense Ministry as well, or should we
just pile blame on Ivanov?
A: The Georgian Defense Ministry also played its part. After the
demise of the Soviet Union, the Russian Defense Ministry and
Intelligence Administration [known as GRU in Russia - GT] took over
control of the Caucasus region. The Defense Ministry of Russia was
trying to restore the Russian empire, while Putin does not seek to
reinstate the USSR. The Russian President hinges expansion plans on
economic levers. This is why there is infighting between President
Putin and the Defense Minister. Putin does not want the conflict to
erupt, as that would foil his plans of entering Europe. If Russia
plays a positive role in regional conflict resolution, Europe will
welcome Russia with applause.
Q: Let us leave Russia for a while and talk about Georgian-Armenian
relations. Quite recently, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey signed a
contract to launch a new regional railway project. Armenia again
found itself an outsider and expressed its protests. Does that mean
we are going to upset Armenia?
A: Georgia does not owe anything to Armenia. From history we remember
that in critical periods when Georgia was dependent on Armenia,
Yerevan took steps that served its national interests best but which
would compromise those of ours. Abkhazian events and its foreign
policy choices in Europe are good examples of this.
Georgia should not feel remorse if it prioritizes its national
interests. Armenia should realize soon that it has to become
friendlier towards its neighbors. It has yet to be made clear what
position Yerevan had towards Armenian military groups during the
Abkhazia war. I think Georgia has made more good-neighborly steps
towards Armenia than it was necessary. All three republics of the
South Caucasus should be interested in playing a common geopolitical
game. Therefore, we should forget old stories and look ahead. Georgia
should think of developing more harmonic relations in the future. The
same goes for Armenia. Armenia is running out of time. If we are
talking about Russia's plans related to conflict settlement, then
there is a high risk that Armenia, with its current policy, will soon
be deadlocked.
Georgian Times
March 10 2007
Has Putin Downgraded Sergey Ivanov?
`Georgia does not owe anything to Armenia,' says Ramaz Sakvarelidze
Russian President Putin's decision to appoint Sergey Ivanov
Vice-Premier of Russia prompted analogies with Georgian President
Saakashvili's move when he re-assigned Defense Minister Irakli
Okruashvili to the Ministry of Economy. The Georgian Times asked
Ramaz Sakvarelidze, an independent political expert and a former
foreign affairs adviser to President Saakashvili, to comment on
Ivanov's reassignment.
Q: What was the rationale behind the cabinet shuffle in Russia? Would
you assess it as [Ivanov's] advancement or downgrading?
A: The whole world would like to weigh in on it. No one has the exact
answer. I think Putin got rid of him. Ivanov had a rising political
rating and perhaps he would lay claim to Russia's presidency, whether
or not it complied with Putin's preferences. Ivanov's policy was
based on the so-called `hawks'' policy - or forceful methods in
politics. This ran counter to Putin's political track.
Putin's policy is also based on aggression, but it is built on
economic levers. Putin has taken a step that may seem pretty familiar
to us: he reassigned a high-rated Defense Minister to a position
which is honorable but also less popular. In his place, Putin
appointed the Chief of Tax Authorities, who may uncover some
financial disorders in the Defense Ministry and thus fund evidence of
Ivanov's criminal accountability.
On the other hand, the appointment of the Tax Authorities Chief to
the Defense Structure suggests the ministry is going to lose its high
profile. Ivanov slipped out of control - he was leading an
independent policy that did not fully coincide with that of Putin.
Q: Should we blame Ivanov's `independent playing' for contributing to
tensions between Tbilisi and Moscow?
A: Certainly, the Defense Ministry has done the lion's share in
deteriorating Georgian-Russian relations.
Q: Do you mean the Georgian Defense Ministry as well, or should we
just pile blame on Ivanov?
A: The Georgian Defense Ministry also played its part. After the
demise of the Soviet Union, the Russian Defense Ministry and
Intelligence Administration [known as GRU in Russia - GT] took over
control of the Caucasus region. The Defense Ministry of Russia was
trying to restore the Russian empire, while Putin does not seek to
reinstate the USSR. The Russian President hinges expansion plans on
economic levers. This is why there is infighting between President
Putin and the Defense Minister. Putin does not want the conflict to
erupt, as that would foil his plans of entering Europe. If Russia
plays a positive role in regional conflict resolution, Europe will
welcome Russia with applause.
Q: Let us leave Russia for a while and talk about Georgian-Armenian
relations. Quite recently, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey signed a
contract to launch a new regional railway project. Armenia again
found itself an outsider and expressed its protests. Does that mean
we are going to upset Armenia?
A: Georgia does not owe anything to Armenia. From history we remember
that in critical periods when Georgia was dependent on Armenia,
Yerevan took steps that served its national interests best but which
would compromise those of ours. Abkhazian events and its foreign
policy choices in Europe are good examples of this.
Georgia should not feel remorse if it prioritizes its national
interests. Armenia should realize soon that it has to become
friendlier towards its neighbors. It has yet to be made clear what
position Yerevan had towards Armenian military groups during the
Abkhazia war. I think Georgia has made more good-neighborly steps
towards Armenia than it was necessary. All three republics of the
South Caucasus should be interested in playing a common geopolitical
game. Therefore, we should forget old stories and look ahead. Georgia
should think of developing more harmonic relations in the future. The
same goes for Armenia. Armenia is running out of time. If we are
talking about Russia's plans related to conflict settlement, then
there is a high risk that Armenia, with its current policy, will soon
be deadlocked.
Georgian Times