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EU - RUSSIA RELATIONS AND GEORGIA
ARCHIL GEGESHIDZE,
Senior fellow at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, Tbilisi
The EU-Russia relations are of importance to Tbilisi, above all, in terms of non-recognition of the status-quo after the war between Georgia and Russia. From then on Tbilisi’s main foreign-policy guideline has been the advocacy of non-recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia would like the West, including the EU, to follow this line.
The EU is influential enough to prevent states from recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia – of all Asian, African and Latin American countries only Nicaragua and Venezuela have recognized those two republics. It does not mean that other countries will not recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but those will be single instances.
Why is this of great importance? Tbilisi realizes that the status-quo will exist in the near future. But over the long term, if Georgia can pursue the non-recognition policy with the support of the EU and the USA, it will have a chance to alter the situation with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
But there is another question – how can Brussels counteract Moscow? The EU (as well as the USA) and Russia have some issues that are of vital importance to them. Those include the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, the Afghan issue, the energy issue and others.
The EU and the USA have to take Russia’s stance into consideration and now the Brussels’ priority is to cooperate with Russia in the spheres that are of ultimate significance to the EU.
As a result, the EU and the USA have taken a clear stand and make it public at various forums, such as the Russia-EU summit, within the framework of international organizations – the EU and the USA do not agree with Russia’s claim on the post-Soviet space as an area of its privileged interests. The disagreement culmination is the recognition of independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia made by Moscow in 2008.
However, so far, the West takes no active steps to change Russia's position. The West tries to settle the situation by drawing Russia into a constructive process of rapprochement and solution to the topical issues.
The EU is of importance to Georgia not only in the context of the EU-Russia relations, the issue of institutional modernization and transformation of Georgia in a European way is significant too. The EU is an important partner since Georgia needs help and resources for reforms and transformation. The EU has such resources including those within a new initiative “Eastern Partnership”. Here the EU’s role is more essential than that of the USA. The USA is needed for Tbilisi to ensure Georgia’s security, while the EU is needed for Georgia’s transition from a former Soviet republic to a European state.
This transition will take place for some time. But Georgia can change, if the Georgian authorities want it and the EU is active enough. This will also favour Georgia’s rapprochement with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, if the Russian factor does not impede that.
November 18, 2009
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