The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 3 2004
Stronger economy may lead to reintegration
Italian analyst hopes that stronger Georgian economy will facilitate
peaceful resolution of conflicts
By Keti Sikharulidze
Political Advisor to the Italian Center for High Defense (CASD),
Pietro Ecole Ago, was in Georgia on December 1-2 to study the
situation in Georgia’s frozen conflict zones in preparation for a
round table seminar on frozen conflicts in the territories of the
former Soviet Union to be held by CASD’s diplomatic committee in Rome
in January.
Speaking at a press conference on December 2, Ago stressed the need
for a peaceful resolution of the conflicts, and his belief that this
could be brought about by strengthening the Georgian economy.
This was Ago’s fifth visit to Georgia, and his fourth since the Rose
Revolution, and he stressed the changes he has seen during the past
year. “There have been lots of changes of course. There have been
good changes from the economic side, but they must intensify the
reorganization of the economy and should cooperate with international
economic organizations in order to strengthen the economy, because
this will also affect the separatist regions.”
He described those regions as among Georgia’s poorest and expressed
his hope that spreading economic prosperity will help strengthen
relations with the separatist regions in a peaceful manner.
Ago stressed that he supports only the peaceful resolution of the
conflict. “We should push settlement through as soon as possible
because conflict resolution is very important for the development of
the region, but from the international point of view, the settlement
of the conflict must be peaceful.”
Ago noted the role played by Russia in the zones of conflict, and
said that official Russia has formally always maintained that these
territories belong to Georgia and admitted the territorial integrity
of Georgia, and said that a solution must be found which satisfies
both reintegration and the desires of the local populations of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia.
“It is very important for Russia to retain this official position,
because Russian has Chechnya, which is their territory, and if they
annex Abkhazia then how could they explain their position on
Chechnya? We hope that the electoral revolution in Abkhazia will open
a greater possibility of discussion of this problem,” stated Ago.
While in Georgia, Ago met with Minster for Conflict Resolution Goga
Khaindrava, Minister of Defense Giorgi Baramidze, and Gocha
Lortkipanidze from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as
parliamentarians and representatives of the OSCE.
Ago visited not only South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but also frozen
conflict zones in other post-Soviet countries, including neighboring
Armenia and Azerbaijan. He will present his findings at the CASD
seminar in January.
He told The Messenger that the seminar would be attended by embassies
of several countries, although they would not formally participate in
it.
“They will be able to ask questions, but they will not debate the
questions. Only Italian politicians and journalists will debate the
questions that will be asked there,” Ago stated.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress