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GEORGIA’S PROSPECTS ON ITS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE CIS
VLADIMIR ZHARIKHIN,
Deputy Director of the Institute of CIS Countries, Moscow
As far as Georgia’s withdrawal from the CIS is concerned, such principal questions are to be dealt with not in Tbilisi, but outside the state. In other words, it is not up to the Georgian leadership to decide on that, but it should be left to the authorities more superior. Whether Georgia will actually withdraw from the CIS or not will depend on those Georgian officials are getting paid by from the outside.
I eagerly believe in radical character of statements made by the Georgian policy-makers and even in their independence, but they are still mere words. In their actions the Georgian authorities remain politically dependent on the U.S. Administration and the EU.
But withdrawing from the CIS may become a hasty decision for Georgia. It had made it once before, not having signed the CIS Charter.
As a result, Georgia did not take part in disbandment of the Soviet forces, and deployment of the Russian military bases on its territory happened due to that particular Georgia’s decision. Later on, on seeing the negative consequences, Georgia did join the CIS.
Now if Georgia leaves the CIS, it may as well face other problems. Firstly, Tbilisi cannot give legal grounds for withdrawal of the Russian peacekeeping forces.
Secondly, many treaties signed within the framework of the CIS will become invalid, for example, the Treaty on Recognition of Diplomas of Higher Education, which, for instance, will make President Mikheil Saakashvili, who studied in Kyiv, a person without higher education.
The territorial relations with Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia will have to be revised, since the boundary issue was settled in the CIS Charter, based on the boundary division of the former Soviet Union.
Thirdly, the CIS is a visa-free space. On Russia’s part, the visa-free agreement is not applied to Georgia. However, many Georgians come to Russia by transit, for example through Azerbaijan. If Georgia leaves the CIS, it will have to revise the visa treaties with all of the CIS countries.
With all that, the economic preferences, which some of the CIS countries have due to the Russian authorities’ decision, such as gas delivery at a cut price, etc. have nothing to do with the CIS Charter. It is a matter of the bilateral relations.
So, complications with visa relations between Georgia and Russia, the veto on the Georgian wines export and other economic sanctions do not relate to propriety of Georgia’s membership in the CIS.
But if Georgia decides to withdraw from the CIS, Russia will not object to that and will not try to keep the country within the Commonwealth.
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