Cargo Wheels Stuck in the Mud

Op-Ed

Representatives of Russia and Georgia will meet again, yes, again, in Prague and – you guessed it right - again in Hotel Diplomat. On July 7, Gregory Karasin, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, and Zurab Abashidze, Special Representative of the Prime Minister of Georgia, will meet again and, as the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggests, they will be discussing the issues of economy and transport – again.

Last time Karasin and Abashidze met in Prague was autumn 2016, where they announced that the following meeting would be held early in 2017. Although, the parties have said nothing about the reasons for the postponement, media and experts agree that it was due to the Russian position: the latter wanted Tskhinvali to be a full-fledged party in the negotiations about the Russian-Georgian Agreement of 2011, which manages the issues of customs of cargo at the borders and regulates the monitoring of trade. The Kremlin already welcomed the statement by the so-called President of de-facto South Ossetia Anatoly Bibilov, who announced that South Ossetia is ready to participate as an equal-rights party in organizing the transportation of cargo through the territories that are not controlled by Georgia at the moment. This fact makes the July 7 meeting even more obscure, because Official Tbilisi has categorically refused not only to hold negotiations with the de-facto government, but even to discuss the matter in their presence. Thus, the parties should be taking completely different issues to Prague than their homework about customs issues.

“The Georgian side once again demonstrates its readiness to sign the contract with a neutral unbiased company and start executing the agreement. We once again call on the Russian Federation to finish finalizing the contract with that company and also to start execution of the agreement in full accordance with the terms,” Abashidze announced.

The reactions to the position of Official Tbilisi from the heads of occupied Tskhinvali followed quickly. In occupied Akhalgori, where the ethnic Georgian population prevails, the de-facto government demands them to decide between Tskhinvali or Tbilisi as their place of permanent living.

Apart from the factual ethnic cleansing, the puppet heads of Tskhinvali have threatened those of the Ossetian population who use medical services in Georgia. The issue of customs first became essential to Tskhinvali last year when the Armenian government categorically demanded the passing of their cargo through the Roki Tunnel. Especially when the Dariali Gorge closed due to mudflows or other natural disasters. The Tskhinvali regimen put a so-called veto on the demands of Official Yerevan, nor could the Kremlin persuade the de-facto leaders and the initiative was pronounced closed... however, now it seems that nothing has been decided finally.

As for the issue of transportation of cargo through the other occupied territory, here the situation is even more obscure. The political classes of the occupied Abkhazia don’t have time for the economy, as they are still busy distributing governmental powers. In 10 days, the de-facto opposition has announced a public rally against de-facto President Khajimba. The reason for the protests is the positions which the de-facto government were to have handed to the so-called opposition. They say in occupied Sokhumi that murder, robbery and rape and even lynching have been added. Another subject for protests is that Georgians living in Gali and Ochamchire are given Abkhazian “passports”. In short, there is a protest season in occupied Abkhazia, instead of a holiday one and they have no time for economy, nor for Karasin-Abashidze.

Zaza Jgarkava