Washington Post Claims of Growing Pro-Russian Vibe in Georgia are Weakly Founded
American newspaper the Washington Post has published an article speculating about potentially growing pro-Russia support in Georgia.
“TBILISI, Georgia — in this fiercely pro-Western nation that fought a brief war with Russia in 2008, few thought the Kremlin could ever regain a toehold. But with the West backing away from Georgia’s path to E.U. and NATO membership after a year of conflict in Ukraine, pro-Russian sentiments are on the rise,” The Washington Post wrote on 4 July.
“The former Soviet nation’s leaders are warning that Russia may yet prevail if Georgia is shut out from Western clubs. Wary of further provoking Russia, Western politicians have quashed talk of NATO and the European Union expanding eastward anytime soon. Russia has stepped into the vacuum, increasing its presence by opening Georgian-language outlets of its state-owned news network and deepening investments in the energy industry and other key sectors,” the article reads.
Overall, the article carries negative perceptions of Georgia’s western aspirations echoing the same rhetoric of Euro-skeptics in the country.
The article mentions Georgia’s efforts to integrate with the West however, Georgian troops in Afghanistan, democratization processes, combating corruption and other unprecedented achievements by the country failed to convince the author. Moreover, the article notes Russia’s Fifth Column and the likes of Archil Chkoidze who openly support Georgia’s entry in Russia’s Eurasian Union.
Instead of seeing European integration as a possibility, the analysis seems to view this as unrealistic in the long run. “Neither Ukraine or Georgia are currently on a path to NATO membership”, said a statement President by Obama before the Minsk agreement of 2015.
Clearly, some of the western states are afraid of a backlash from Russia which can explain their occasionally weak stance. For Georgia and Ukraine, though, this cannot be regarded as an authentic argument to prove that Georgian people has opted for Russia or that Russian nostalgia prevails here. Moreover, the author forgets the Georgian youth, professionals, uncorrupted people and the new generation in general, who see the west as an unalterable future path for Georgia.
At the same time, the article includes quotes from David Bakradze, the state minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, who says Georgia’s aspirations are irreversible: “We don’t have time to be disappointed.”
Among many opinions garnered, the article cites Kakhetian small businessman Jemal Veliashvili who warns “Stop meddling with Russia.”
According to Veliashvili, his business had tripled since the trade ban was lifted. The reality speaks differently, and the hopes of reopening Russian market for Georgian businesses have faded as the unpredictable country creates artificial obstacles. Additionally, the main format proposed by the Georgian Government (2012), the Karasin-Abashidze talks in Prague, is currently viewed as being on the brink of failure.
The article succeeded in winning attention but its claims of a sea-change in Georgian attitudes toward its northern neighbor with which it was at war less than seven years ago, is far-fetched and based on slender grounds. In reality, Georgians may not back their government on many things but the European aspirations it pursues are still widely supported.
Zviad Adzinbaia