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NEW REALITY: IVANISHVILI VISIT TO YEREVAN HOLDS OUT PROSPECTS FOR CLOSER ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN TIES
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow
ANALYSIS | 18.01.13 | 13:15
Georgia's new authorities appear to be determined to abandon the policy
of isolationism from Russia, which has been adopted by the current
president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who is due to leave later this year.
As a result of this policy carried out ever since the Rose Revolution
of 2003 and culminating in the August 2008 five-day war in South
Ossetia, Georgia got almost completely isolated from Russia, as a
result Armenia also lost a railway link opportunity via Abkhazia. It
is this policy that appears to have proved the Achilles heel of
Saakashvili, who has not been forgiven despite all the democratization
and liberalization of the country that he has achieved in recent years.
One of the first statements of current Prime Minister Bidzina
Ivanishvili, who came to power as a result of the October 1
parliamentary elections in Georgia, concerned the possibility of
resuming the operation of the Abkhazian section of the Russian-Georgian
railway. The offer was accepted with great interest in Russia, in
Armenia, as well as in Georgia itself. Among those opposed to it
were Azerbaijan, Turkey and Saakashvili, who have designed and are
currently building a Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway bypassing
both Russia and Armenia.
Visiting Baku at the end of last year, Ivanishvili met there some
fierce resistance to the Abkhazian railroad project, however, on
January 17 in Yerevan, he said that the work on lobbying this project
will continue, and Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan promised
to support him in this.
Ivanishvili was still in Yerevan when Saakashvili's angry reaction
came. The outgoing head of state of Georgia called Ivanishvili's
statement on the possible restoration of the railway link with
Russia 'anti-state'. According to him, there is no need for such a
railway today, as Georgia has an alternative way to Europe via the
Kars-Akhalkalaki link, and this route is rivaling especially that of
Russia. "The issue of restoring railway communication must be discussed
only after solving the problem of Abkhazia's de-occupation or in
parallel with this issue, because the restoration of the railway link
will be a de-facto legalization of Russia's recognition of Abkhazia,"
said Saakashvili.
Abkhazia could accept the proposal of opening the railway only
on condition that Georgia will not insist on the return of its
breakaway republic. Apparently, Ivanishvili's proposal implies this
very variant - opening up communications without a political solution
to the conflict.
This method has already for several years been proposed
by international experts also for the Karabakh conflict and
Turkish-Armenian relations. It implies opening the communication -
railways, pipelines, power lines - without discussing political
issues. But as the main weapon of Turkey and Azerbaijan on
Nagorno-Karabakh is the continuing blockade, they have been reluctant
to accept the offer, because that would deprive them of all but a
single tool.
Similarly, Saakashvili can not give up the policy of isolationism,
condemning his people and Armenia to the absence of a cheaper
rail link to Russia. Ivanishvili apparently decided to change this
tradition. From the very beginning he stated his intention to establish
relations with all neighbors of Georgia, including with Russia. While
the Abkhaz and South Ossetian issues remain a stumbling block in the
relationship, it is not excluded that Armenia would be the one to
help in settling these issues.
Media reports suggest that recently Yerevan hosted closed
Georgian-Ossetian negotiations, apparently, at the level of the public,
but it is also possible that Armenia will one day become an arena for
a Caucasian reconciliation. In any case, the Georgian prime minister
made some gestures towards Yerevan - at a meeting with Catholicos of
All Armenians Karekin II he promised to take care of the Armenian
churches of Georgia and to allow the teaching of the history of
Armenia at Armenian schools in Georgia in Armenian.
The Armenian community of Georgia can be fully confident that the
promises given to it during the election campaign will be fulfilled,
stressed Ivanishvili at a press conference in Yerevan on Thursday. He
stressed that during the campaign he visited all Armenian-populated
provinces of Georgia where he got warm receptions. "Armenians will
feel at home in Georgia," said Ivanishvili, adding that he has many
friends among Armenians as well.
While receiving the delegation led by Ivanishvili later that day,
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stressed that Yerevan is interested
in stability in Georgia and wants to further strengthen the brotherly
relations that will benefit both nations.
The Georgian prime minister assured Sargsyan that his government will
do everything possible for Armenian-Georgian relations to become
"the best in history". He also spoke about boosting economic ties
between the two neighboring countries.
Addressing the possibility of resuming the railway link connecting
Armenia with Russia via Abkhazia, Ivanishvili said that "we need to
work over an urgent solution to this problem".
And Armenian Prime Minister Sargsyan thanked his Georgian counterpart
for his balanced approach to the Karabakh problem. "It is no
secret that many of the statements on this issue are distorted. We
are grateful to our Georgian colleagues for prompt refutations of
distorted statements and confirmation of the position of the Georgian
government," said Sargsyan.
Ivanishvili said that during his visit to Azerbaijan in December he
also spoke about the conflict with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. "This
is a really complicated problem and is likely to remain such also
in the future," said Ivanishvili. "But the solution must be peaceful
and by means of negotiations."
By NAIRA HAYRUMYAN
ArmeniaNow
ANALYSIS | 18.01.13 | 13:15
Georgia's new authorities appear to be determined to abandon the policy
of isolationism from Russia, which has been adopted by the current
president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who is due to leave later this year.
As a result of this policy carried out ever since the Rose Revolution
of 2003 and culminating in the August 2008 five-day war in South
Ossetia, Georgia got almost completely isolated from Russia, as a
result Armenia also lost a railway link opportunity via Abkhazia. It
is this policy that appears to have proved the Achilles heel of
Saakashvili, who has not been forgiven despite all the democratization
and liberalization of the country that he has achieved in recent years.
One of the first statements of current Prime Minister Bidzina
Ivanishvili, who came to power as a result of the October 1
parliamentary elections in Georgia, concerned the possibility of
resuming the operation of the Abkhazian section of the Russian-Georgian
railway. The offer was accepted with great interest in Russia, in
Armenia, as well as in Georgia itself. Among those opposed to it
were Azerbaijan, Turkey and Saakashvili, who have designed and are
currently building a Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway bypassing
both Russia and Armenia.
Visiting Baku at the end of last year, Ivanishvili met there some
fierce resistance to the Abkhazian railroad project, however, on
January 17 in Yerevan, he said that the work on lobbying this project
will continue, and Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan promised
to support him in this.
Ivanishvili was still in Yerevan when Saakashvili's angry reaction
came. The outgoing head of state of Georgia called Ivanishvili's
statement on the possible restoration of the railway link with
Russia 'anti-state'. According to him, there is no need for such a
railway today, as Georgia has an alternative way to Europe via the
Kars-Akhalkalaki link, and this route is rivaling especially that of
Russia. "The issue of restoring railway communication must be discussed
only after solving the problem of Abkhazia's de-occupation or in
parallel with this issue, because the restoration of the railway link
will be a de-facto legalization of Russia's recognition of Abkhazia,"
said Saakashvili.
Abkhazia could accept the proposal of opening the railway only
on condition that Georgia will not insist on the return of its
breakaway republic. Apparently, Ivanishvili's proposal implies this
very variant - opening up communications without a political solution
to the conflict.
This method has already for several years been proposed
by international experts also for the Karabakh conflict and
Turkish-Armenian relations. It implies opening the communication -
railways, pipelines, power lines - without discussing political
issues. But as the main weapon of Turkey and Azerbaijan on
Nagorno-Karabakh is the continuing blockade, they have been reluctant
to accept the offer, because that would deprive them of all but a
single tool.
Similarly, Saakashvili can not give up the policy of isolationism,
condemning his people and Armenia to the absence of a cheaper
rail link to Russia. Ivanishvili apparently decided to change this
tradition. From the very beginning he stated his intention to establish
relations with all neighbors of Georgia, including with Russia. While
the Abkhaz and South Ossetian issues remain a stumbling block in the
relationship, it is not excluded that Armenia would be the one to
help in settling these issues.
Media reports suggest that recently Yerevan hosted closed
Georgian-Ossetian negotiations, apparently, at the level of the public,
but it is also possible that Armenia will one day become an arena for
a Caucasian reconciliation. In any case, the Georgian prime minister
made some gestures towards Yerevan - at a meeting with Catholicos of
All Armenians Karekin II he promised to take care of the Armenian
churches of Georgia and to allow the teaching of the history of
Armenia at Armenian schools in Georgia in Armenian.
The Armenian community of Georgia can be fully confident that the
promises given to it during the election campaign will be fulfilled,
stressed Ivanishvili at a press conference in Yerevan on Thursday. He
stressed that during the campaign he visited all Armenian-populated
provinces of Georgia where he got warm receptions. "Armenians will
feel at home in Georgia," said Ivanishvili, adding that he has many
friends among Armenians as well.
While receiving the delegation led by Ivanishvili later that day,
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stressed that Yerevan is interested
in stability in Georgia and wants to further strengthen the brotherly
relations that will benefit both nations.
The Georgian prime minister assured Sargsyan that his government will
do everything possible for Armenian-Georgian relations to become
"the best in history". He also spoke about boosting economic ties
between the two neighboring countries.
Addressing the possibility of resuming the railway link connecting
Armenia with Russia via Abkhazia, Ivanishvili said that "we need to
work over an urgent solution to this problem".
And Armenian Prime Minister Sargsyan thanked his Georgian counterpart
for his balanced approach to the Karabakh problem. "It is no
secret that many of the statements on this issue are distorted. We
are grateful to our Georgian colleagues for prompt refutations of
distorted statements and confirmation of the position of the Georgian
government," said Sargsyan.
Ivanishvili said that during his visit to Azerbaijan in December he
also spoke about the conflict with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. "This
is a really complicated problem and is likely to remain such also
in the future," said Ivanishvili. "But the solution must be peaceful
and by means of negotiations."