One could, of course, speculate as to why this happened. It is quite possible that Georgia decided to “earn” the status of EU candidate in this way, especially since Tbilisi does not dare to support anti-Russian sanctions. Moreover, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili is a native of France, and she even came to Tbilisi as an ambassador of the Fifth Republic, and then she took Georgian citizenship, became the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, went into opposition… anyway, if in the times of Shevardnadze, whose name was associated with the fall of the Berlin Wall, Georgia had a special relationship with Germany, now, apparently, it has one with France.
The only thing left is for the Georgian leadership to realize that they are the leaders of Georgia, not the ambassadors of France. Indeed, it is thanks to Azerbaijan that Georgia has withstood Russian energy blackmail. The communications from Azerbaijan to Türkiye—pipelines and railroads—running through Georgia provide both support for the Georgian economy and security guarantees.
Suffice it to recall that in August 2008, the Russian offensive was stopped 10 kilometers from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. It is unlikely that Tbilisi does not realize how much Georgia gets both literally and figuratively from cooperation with Azerbaijan, including transit duties, direct investments and political support. So what are we to make of the recent move by the Georgian leadership? “The right hand knows not what the left hand does”? Have they decided to suck up to France at the expense of Azerbaijan’s interests?
There may be many conjectures. But this is a case where the Georgian authorities need to think about the interests and security of Georgia itself. This includes taking into account some unpleasant circumstances. Armenia has claims, among other things, to a part of Georgian territory.
In 1918, having barely appeared on the map of the South Caucasus, Armenia unleashed a war not only against Azerbaijan, but also against Georgia over Borchaly Uezd. It lost. But did it learn its lesson? Moreover, Yerevan’s appetites were whetted by the fact that after “Sovietization” Armenia was given the lands of Lori as a gift. Today Yerevan is openly claiming Georgian Javakheti, which Yerevan has already renamed “Javakh”. Militants from this region of Georgia were “broken in” in the Karabakh war.
Moreover, there is no doubt that the disputes over the ownership of churches in Georgia also have territorial overtones: today they are trying to declare Georgian churches Armenian, and tomorrow those lands where “Armenian churches” have been discovered will be declared “originally Armenian”. And here is where Armenia may well use the Bastion armored vehicles, which Georgia has kindly allowed through its territory, against Georgia.
One has to wonder whom Tbilisi will ask for help then.
Translated from Minval.az
