About Civil.ge
Eng | Geo | Rus
Last updated: 10:55 - 1 May.'18
RSS
Mobile
Twitter
Facebook
Tbilisi Fears More Drastic Moves by Russia
/ 7 Oct.'06 / 17:07
Civil Georgia

Russia’s crackdown on Georgians is “a soft form of ethnic cleansing,” Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said after a planeload of over 130 Georgians arrived from Moscow in the Tbilisi airport on October 6. The Georgians had been accused of migration offences and were deported by the Russian officials.

Although in public statements top Georgian officials tend to downplay Russia’s sanctions imposed on Georgia, some sources close to the Georgian leadership say that there is increasing concern in Saakashvili’s administration on how to tackle further anticipated pressure from the Kremlin.

Tbilisi fears that Russia’s trade and travel sanctions on Georgia, along with a crackdown on businesses owned by native Georgians in Russia and the deportation of Georgians, might be a prelude to more painful moves to follow.

Breakaway South Ossetia will hold an independence referendum on November 12, and the definition of Kosovo's status is looming. Many in Georgia fear that Russia may recognize South Ossetia after the referendum, which in its turn will increase the chances of the use of force by Tbilisi to regain control over the breakaway region.

“The recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is possible by Russia,” Alexander Rondeli, who chairs the think-tank Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS), told Civil Georgia.

However, he ruled out possibility of Russia’s “direct” military intervention if there is a resumption of hostilities in the breakaway regions.

But some analysts disagree. “What Russia is most afraid of is that the Georgian administration is planning some sort of military action against South Ossetia, which could actually lead to a war between Russia and Georgia,” Anatol Lieven of the Washington-based New America Foundation said in an interview with RFE/RL.

Rondeli says that tensions between the two countries are not likely to be defused in the near future. He also noted that now it is up to western powers to offer “compromises which will be acceptable for all the parties involved."

“But Georgia’s compromise at the expense of its Euro-Atlantic integration can be totally ruled out,” Rondeli said.

In a letter to the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, Russian President Putin declined the organization’s offer to mediate in defusing Russo-Georgian tensions, and instead called on the international community to pressure Georgia to not use force against breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Meanwhile, Georgian President Saakashvili said in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro that Tbilisi has “no desire to irritate the Russians” and called for the EU backing of the, Reuters reported.

But EU officials have voiced critical remarks towards Tbilisi’s “unnecessarily provocative” stance towards Russia.

“In order to create the conditions for resolving conflicts by peaceful means, the rhetoric that has been at some points fairly sharp on the part of some Georgian officials will have to be toned down,” Peter Semneby, the EU special representative to the South Caucasus said on October 5.

Latest News
01 May.'18 10:55
We Have Moved to a New Platform
Direct Your Bookmarks to https://civil.ge.
29 Apr.'18 03:54
Ruling Party Candidate Wins MP By-Elections
Givi Chichinadze will represent Vani and Khoni single-mandate constituency in the Parliament of Georgia.
28 Apr.'18 09:40
Polls Open for Vani and Khoni MP By-Elections
48,123 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in Vani and Khoni single-mandate constituency.
27 Apr.'18 17:23
State Dept’s Europe Affairs Point Man to Visit Tbilisi
Wess Mitchell will meet senior government officials and address the NATO-Georgia Public Diplomacy Forum.
27 Apr.'18 13:45
In Quotes: Georgian Politicians on Ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Comeback
Bidzina Ivanishvili will be approved as the Georgian Dream party chairman at the upcoming convention.
26 Apr.'18 18:15
SG Jens Stoltenberg: Georgia NATO’s ‘Very Close’ Partner
The NATO Secretary General says Foreign Ministers meeting tomorrow will recognize the country’s progress.
26 Apr.'18 14:24
Ex-PM Ivanishvili to Chair Georgian Dream Party
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said Ivanishvili was ‘best equipped’ to add new dynamism to the party.
26 Apr.'18 11:12
Lawmaker Proposes Criminal Liability for ‘Insult of Religious Feelings’
The parliamentary human rights committee decided to set up a working group for scrutinizing the draft law.
25 Apr.'18 17:21
New Abkhaz Government Head Appointed
Gennady Gagulia has served as the Abkhaz “prime minister” twice - in 1995-1997, and 2002-2003.
25 Apr.'18 14:43
Watchdog Improves Georgia’s Press Freedom Ranking
None of the countries of the former Soviet Union (except the Baltics) are ranked ahead of Georgia.

About Civil Georgia
Civil.Ge © 2001-2025, Daily News Online
Registered office: 2 Dolidze Str, 4-th Floor.
6