AZG Armenian Daily #095, 26/05/2005
Neighbors
USA, TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN, UKRAINE – STRATEGIC ALLIES OF TBILISI
Georgian National Security Defines Relations With Armenia as ‘Pragmatic
Cooperation’
The newly authored Concept of National Security for Georgia considers United
States, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Ukraine to be Georgia’s strategic partners.
Relations with two neighboring Armenia, are depicted “pragmatic
cooperation”.
According to Khvalindeli Dghe newspaper, the National Security Council
prepared and submitted to the parliament the draft of the Concept on May 13.
Georgian informs that the draft Concept consists of 7 chapters.
It will be confirmed after being discussed in the parliament.
“Georgia keeps on developing strategic partnership with the US… Turkey is
Georgia’s most progressive partner in the region”, the Concept reads.
Georgia’s relationship with Azerbaijan is most strongly linked with energy,
transport and commercial projects. “The Rose Revolution in Georgia and
Orange Revolution in Ukraine put the beginning of the new era in relations
of two states”, the Concept reads. “Georgia seeks after partnership with
Russia that will be based on good-neighborly ties and principles of equality
and mutual respect”.
“Georgia relates to Armenia in pragmatic cooperation in all spheres of
mutual interests”, the Concept reads. According to Messenger
English-language newspaper, Armenia’s vector toward Russia and its closed
borders with both Turkey and Azerbaijan are a cause of lessened political
opportunities between Tbilisi and Yerevan. All the same Armenia is a major
partner — according to governmental statistics, in 2004 Armenians were the
second most frequent travelers to Georgia behind only Turkey. The draft
highlights the need for both countries to “utilize united economic, energy
and transport projects. Armenia can benefit from its transit location by
transporting Armenian products through its territory”. However, the fact
that Abkhazia remains a separatist state prevents Georgia from satisfying
Armenia’s main transit interest of restoring the railway link to Russia.
Resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict would certainly improve the
political situation in the South Caucasus, and the Concept of National
Security says that all separatist conflicts are threats to the region’s
prosperity. “The existence of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict damages the
regional countries’ stability”.
The Concept notes as well that Georgia will ensure protection of national
and religious minorities’ rights.
A chapter titled “Threats” highlights as such infringement of territorial
integrity, import of conflicts from neighboring countries, particularly
Chechnya, military intervention, smuggling and international terrorism. The
Concept thinks that “illegal” existence of Russian military bases in Georgia
“limits the state’s sovereignty and undermines its economic and social
stability”.
Among the challenges the document mentions corruption and non-productive
system of the state governing, socio-economic condition and dependence of
energy supply on one source.
By Tatoul Hakobian