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VISIT OF GEORGIA’S PRESIDENT MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI TO THE USA
MERAB PACHULIA,
Director of the Tbilisi-based Georgian Opinion Research Business International – GORBI
Eurasian Home: “What objectives does Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili pursue in course of his visit to the USA?”
The U.S. officials have emphasized Georgia’s exceptional role in the U.S. policy conducted in Eastern Europe. Perhaps, it is as weighty for the States as the role of the post-revolutionary Ukraine. Consequently, it is important for the Georgian authorities to enlist the U.S. support in solving a number of issues.
Restoring Georgia’s territorial integrity is Saakashvili’s most important task. At the same time Georgia is interested in maintaining friendly relations with Russia. But here it confronts a controversy. Fast restoring Tbilisi’s jurisdiction in the breakaway regions on the one hand and keeping Russia’s status as the sole guarantor of the peaceful co-existence on the other are two incompatible things.
That’s why Saakashvili’s visit to the USA can be deemed a logical roundup of another session of his talks with the Russian and American Presidents. This visit in many ways results from Saakashvili’s visit to Russia in June 2006. The meeting schedule looks like this: May 2005 – visit to the USA, June 2006 – visit to Russia, July 2006 – visit to the USA. In fact, the Georgian President’s meeting with the U.S. President sums up his visit to Russia.
Also, they may envisage such burning issues as Georgia’s including in the system of energy supply for the European countries, Georgia’s participation in the peace-keeping mission in Iraq and withdrawal of the Russian military bases from Georgia.
Besides, talks may also touch upon the question of human rights, penitentiary and judicial reforms, but these points are unlikely to be on top of the agenda. Although, this is the area that seriously needs to be worked on, as it does contain serious drawbacks. The USA and Georgia realize that solving of the existing problems and introducing radical reforms takes time.
Eurasian Home: “Has the U.S. stance on Saakashvili’s regime and Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s status undergone changes?”
The U.S. stance on the conflict zones is always finding ways of settling the conflict peacefully. The USA, just like Russia, recognizes Georgia’s territorial integrity. Washington sees Abkhazia and South Ossetia being parts of Georgia.
Georgia could exert pressure on the separatist authorities in Tskhinvali by means of military force, but the U.S. position is a peaceful conflict settlement. And from now on it should be the only way of settling conflicts.
At this point, Saakashvili is not interested in the military intervention, despite the fact that Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s returning to Georgia as well as returning of the forced migrants back to these areas remains a cornerstone and one of serious dilemmas for him in the future.
Eurasian Home: “How can the USA react to the behavior of the Georgian authorities in case of a deepened aggravation in relations between Tbilisi and the two breakaway republics, Abkhazia and South Ossetia?”
If a radical confrontation takes place (in this case it doesn’t matter who will start it ), the USA is sure to do its utmost to stabilize the situation, since the open conflict, even if it is to last for several weeks, will be very dangerous for Georgia itself and it will endanger the security of the entire region.
July 5, 2006
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