AFTER RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN WAR GEORGIA’S CIS MEMBERSHIP MAKES NO SENSE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.08.2009 13:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Georgia’s joining CIS pursued political goals,"
Western Armenians’ Studies Center Director Haykazun Alvrtsyan told
today a news conference in Yerevan.

"CIS came into existence in 1991. Georgia did not then sign an
agreement on becoming commonwealth member; it signed it 3 years
later," expert said. Such step, according to him, was conditioned by
Georgian-Abkhazian war when South Ossetia and Abkhazia had seceded
from Georgia. "Former Georgian President Edward Shevardnadze persuaded
Georgian society that joining CIS was the only way for returning
those territories and raising a question about Georgia’s territorial
integrity."

"Following August 2008 war, Georgia irrevocably lost South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, so the country’s CIS membership made no sense," Alvrtsyan
said, noting in the meantime that Georgia always adhered to pro-Western
position, so quitting commonwealth will pave the country’s way to
NATO membership.

"It’s a long time Georgia has not been a CIS member state. It hasn’t
taken part in sessions held recently and has done everything to
contradict organization’s policy," the speaker stressed, adding
that Georgia’s quitting CIS will greatly harm Russia’s interests in
the region.

"Georgian society does not seem to be against such decision, as no
protest statements were made in that regard," he noted.

On August 12, 2008, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili made
a decision on quitting CIS, as a sign of protest against Russia’s
military operation aimed at forcing peace in South Ossetia. President’s
decision was followed by relevant legal procedures which took certain
time. On August 18, Georgia officially and ultimately withdrew
from CIS.