EXCLUSIVE: Ambassador Beruchashvili on a Mission to Widen UK Engagement

Tamar Beruchashvili, Georgian diplomat and former Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, is about to take on her first diplomatic posting as the new Georgian Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK). GEORGIA TODAY sat down with her beforehand to discuss her plans.

“I am honoured and delighted,” the Ambassador says. “I believe the UK is a destination where I can fully utilize in whole my two decades of experience in diplomacy, international relations and international trade.”

Her CV is certainly impressive, as she served as Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations from 1998 to 2000 and State Minister of European Integration in 2004. She can also claim to have been personally engaged in the establishment of the Wardrop Dialogue in 2014 with David Lidington, which was named in honor of Sir Oliver Wardrop - Britain’s first Chief Commissioner of the Transcaucasus in Tbilisi in 1919-1921.

The annual Dialogue between the UK covers various issues including European and Euro-Atlantic integration, security, trade, economic development, energy, cyber-crime, and on-going bilateral cooperation. “It’s very much a strategic platform to further intensify our bilateral relations, set our priorities and identify the directions we have to work in,” Ambassador Beruchashvili says.

Such issues as those above will take up the majority of the Ambassador’s focus once she begins her four year posting this week.

“I’ll be primarily representing the interests of Georgia in the UK with the aim of strengthening Britain’s support for Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration priorities, widening and deepening relations and advancing bilateral cooperation at all levels, especially in the economic, defense, security and cultural policy fields.”

With her small “but efficient and well-connected” embassy team in London, established partner organizations such as the British Georgian Chamber of Commerce (BGCC), British Georgian Society, British Council Georgia, Georgian National Tourism Association (GNTA) and others, Ambassador Beruchashvili has already begun work towards an increased number of cultural exchange events and business forums.

The first such event ’WHERE EUROPE MEETS ASIA: GEORGIA25’ will take place on Aprill 11 -16 and is presented by the Georgian National Book Center in association with Maya Jaggi, Artistic Director, with support of the Georgian Embassy. The cultural feast of writers and films in London will bring a number of contemporary Georgian writers and their British counterparts together as part of a discussion on the present, past and future of Georgia. It is the first in a series of events connected to the 25th anniversary of the restoration of independence of Georgia, the second of which will be the visit of Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili to London May 11-12 for the Anti-Corruption Summit organized by British Prime Minister David Cameron. “Georgia has a lot to say about its experience and achievements.” the Ambassador says.

We asked her about the relationship between the UK and Georgia.

"Great Britain and Georgia are developing genuinely close relations based on friendship and common values. The UK sees Georgia as a key international security partner and regional democratic role model. As UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond wrote on Twitter after meeting the leadership of Georgia, the UK is a strong supporter of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Our political relations with the UK are excellent, but there is a solid potential to add more substance and value, particularly to improve business-to-business and people-to-people ties,” says the Ambassador.

“Beyond the political aspects, I would highlight the assistance received from the UK government under the Good Governance Fund set up by the British Prime Minister in 2015. The Fund supports country development and the building of diplomatic institutions and civil society.”

More specifically, the 4 million pounds received so far from the Fund has been used by Georgia, as per the agreement, to help Georgia make a success of the EU DCFTA, attract more investment, including through improving consultation between business and the government, and technical support in niche sectors, such as agri-business. It also considers improving strategic communication, enhancement of the capabilities of Georgia’s civil service and institutions, and supporting an independent media.

“We highly value active cooperation in the fields of culture and education in the framework of different programs (Chevening, John Smith, Hansard, Mansion Scholarships) that have already contributed to the professional development of young Georgians,” the Ambassador says.

In 2015 the UK became the second largest investor country to Georgia. According to the Statistics Office of Georgia, investments exceeded USD 198 million, a record amount for the last twenty years.

“2016 marks 20 years of fruitful partnership with British Petroleum (BP). This partnership really put Georgia on the global energy map and showcases us as a solid, reliable, international partner in transporting the rich resources of the Caspian into Europe and beyond. In the new stage of cooperation with BP, through the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCPX - total budget of USD 2 billion), roughly USD 400 mln will be spent in Georgia, representing the single largest foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Georgian economy. The so-called Southern Gas Corridor initiative, of which SCPX is a part, will play a major role in ensuring energy for the entire region.”

“We also enjoy partnership with the Ministry of Defense and Security,” Ambassador Beruchashvili says. “Thanks to the advice from the UK and the assistance of British Government Adviser on Security and Crisis Management Issues, Sir Garry Johnson, we can count the recent opening of the Situation Room [the Georgian analogue of the successful British model – the National Situation Room of State Security and Crisis Management Council of Georgia] among our serious achievements.”

“The timing of my taking on this new position is very important as Georgia is in the process of active implementation of the framework of the European Union Association Agreement whose most significant component, the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA), I believe, will attract UK and international investors to explore the new opportunities Georgia has to offer and will definitely facilitate business-to-business contacts.”

One of the Ambassador’s key priorities is to activate commercial interests in Georgia. The road is already paved to this aim, with sixteen new businesses having been registered in Georgia during the first two months of 2016 in cooperation with UK citizens, bringing the total to 622 such enterprises set up since 1996. The country’s open economy and geographical location are the main factors encouraging UK citizens to start businesses in Georgia. In this regard the Ambassador’s planned business forums and ‘roadshows’ will further promote Georgia as a favorable investment destination. Her embassy will be putting the spotlight on Georgia’s “strategic attractive geographic location as a hub in the region and demonstrating that concrete projects like Anaklia Deep Sea Port are set to develop the Silk Road route and make a difference in the region.”

She will be building on the achievements of the previous ambassadors and using the established networks and around 1500 dedicated Georgian Diaspora to better exploit the advantages of the British capital- a “political, financial and economic powerhouse.” The Ambassador is confident her trade and economic background will be an asset in the success of the tasks she has set her team.

“In general, ratings assessments of doing businesses and reforms in various fields can prove Georgia is a success story in the region and we need to do more promotional activities to make Georgia better known in the UK at different levels- from business to academic and civil society.”

Twinning is one area to better promote to British society. Tbilisi is Twinned with Bristol, and Kutaisi with Newport. Few people know this and the Ambassador plans to further activate these links. “There’s huge potential- an entire audience to attract and inform through business and cultural events and more targeted activities. This year in Georgia is the 850th birthday of the famous Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli, and in the UK the significant fact of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. We plan, together with UK Ambassador to Georgia, H.E. Alexandra Hall Hall and the British Council, to link these two geniuses - Shakespeare and Rustaveli.”

“A rich, diverse and unique culture is another serious asset to promote Georgia with. In the field of Cultural Cooperation, the Embassy will be further facilitating contacts between Georgian and UK cultural environments to use culture to bring people together – through the exchange of artists, musicians, performers and even museum curators. I also want to use my academic background to forge stronger educational ties between the two countries and to encourage many more student exchanges.”

Georgia is already up-and-coming as an attractive destination for UK tourists, with statistics showing visits to Georgia up by 20% last year compared to 2014. “Georgian landscapes, seaside, mountains and cultural heritage must be promoted. The GNTA is engaged- we aim to activate contacts with tourism businesses here and arrange journalist tours to advertise and popularize ourselves- cuisine, wine routes; wine tourism is very fashionable now. Georgia has a lot to present.”

She fully expects the International World Tourism Organization Congress on Wine Tourism, taking place in September, will allow Georgia to get the message across. She hopes airlines such as British Airways will be among those listening.

“I’ll be lobbying British Airways to return. Since they withdrew from Tbilisi in 2013 there has been increased interest in our country as a viable commercial destination.”

Talking of withdrawals, our discussion turns to the up-coming Referendum and I ask her whether she thinks the British public will vote to break from the European Union.

“It’s an exercise in democracy but I still believe the UK will stay. As a person who has worked over 20 years on Georgia’s European agenda, I want to see the EU strong, secure and prosperous. I can’t imagine that being the case without the UK. A so-called ‘Brexit” would shake the EU to its core and has the potential to set off a chain reaction in times of increasing Euroscepticism. I believe there are not only strong trade and economic reasons for the UK to stay in the EU, but that the UK is critically important for the EU to play a global role. At the same time, the British have the ability to make Europeans more economically liberal and more invested in a trans-Atlantic relationship. I believe the EU is a project not complete without Georgia and the UK, and the UK should have a special seat at the table where European decisions are made.”

The Ambassador concludes our talk with an important message: “There is a plethora of connections between Georgia and the UK. There is political readiness on both sides to activate greater cooperation and to work towards the future Georgia deserves. Georgia is committed to irreversibly follow its European and Euro-Atlantic path, further strengthen its democracy and continue to be an active international security partner. We are already a success story in the region but we need more support and engagement from our Western partners. The UK has a special role in this regard. Engaging that support is my mission for the next four years.”

Katie Ruth Davies

04 April 2016 16:42