Friends of Russia & Int’l Back Scratching
Op-Ed
The alleged independence of Catalonia was announced in occupied Sokhumi and Tskhinvali, who said that it is vital that Catalonians demonstrate the same consistency as the Abkhazian and Ossetian people did. Leaders of the Georgian separatist enclaves Raul Khajimba and Anatoliy Bibilov showed readiness to send their representatives to Barcelona and share the “Abkhazian and Ossetian experience” with them. We don’t know if the offer from Sokhumi and Tskhinvali has reached Barcelona yet, but what we do know is that interviews with leaders of Catalonian separatist groups that have been published in Russian media, clearly stating that, if granted independence, Catalonia would become an ally of Russia and recognize Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence.
Russia has chosen to remain silent about the events developing in the separatist region of Spain, making no public statements about the offers by Khajimba or Bibilov. That, while Syrian MPs make frequent visits to Sokhumi to discuss the issue of independence, though not of Catalonia, but of Abkhazia. Nobody doubts that the Syria-Abkhazian bruderschaft is backed by Russia and that the separatist viruses in Europe are spread precisely by Russia. Political analyst Kornely Kakachia thinks that Russia believes the division of the Spanish state will be followed by a chain reaction and which will further weaken the European Council and NATO. Hence, all the support for the Catalan separatists.
That Russia’s main geopolitical goal is to split the European Council and NATO, we all know, however, what role the occupied territories of Georgia hold within this plan remains ambiguous. Also, isn’t it interesting why Khajimba and Bibilov aren’t as interested in the idea of an independent Kurdistan, and why they don’t offer to send emissaries to Kirkuk? Political expert Mamuka Areshidze believes that the independence of Kurdistan is not in the interests of Moscow, which is why the Ossetians and Abkhaz remain silent. “Sokhumi and Tskhinvali both voice the moods of the political circles in Moscow; they are clutching at straws by having big expectations for the independence of Catalonia, which will never happen. Spain will maintain its territorial integrity, while Abkhazians will have to wait for events similar to Scotland and Catalonia, hoping to somehow use it in their favor,” Areshidze said. How long Sokhumi and Tskhinvali need to wait is hard to say.
Separatist enclaves like Catalonia can be found in almost every state around the globe, including in Russia, which is full of its “own” Catalonias. How would Sokhumi and Tskhinvali act if, for instance, Kazan and Grozny held referendums on the independence of Tatarstan or Chechnya? The answer is obvious: they would not support the causes of the Chechen and Tatar people and would not be sending their emissaries to share their experiences. Khajimba clearly told the MPs from Syria that Abkhazians would be friends with those countries and people that are friends with Russia.
By Zaza Jgarkava
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