Plans for a railway to Armenia from Russia via Georgia are not understood in Tbilisi. This is evidenced by a statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Grigol Vashadze. He said this railway is needed for Russia and Armenia, but not for Georgia. According to him, in order to ensure that Georgia agrees to the construction of the railway, it is necessary to examine some of the legal issues.
Vashadze explained that he primarily means the Abkhaz section of the Georgian railway that is almost or actually privatized by RZD (Russian Railways). If we agree for the sake of our “Armenian friends and possible Russian partners” to exterritoriality of that section, we will admit that near us there is some independent state, with this section being its property, which is absolutely unacceptable for us, said Vashadze. In addition, the head of the Georgian Foreign Ministry believes that this railway is needed mostly not even for Armenia, but for Russia, and above all for supplying its military base in Gyumri.
This statement by Grigol Vashadze explains the meaning of Georgia’s negative attitude to the creation of the railway. It’s all about Abkhazia that Georgia does not recognize as an independent state and does not want Sukhumi to consider the going through Abkhazia railway section as its own. After all, the official Tbilisi can not possibly agree with the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, although it has already become a “fait accompli”.
As of Armenia, although Vashadze has stated desire to help the “Armenian friends”, in truth Georgia does nothing to alleviate the situation in Armenia. After all, this country is located in a kind of a railway blockade, and is cut off from Russia. The way through Azerbaijan is closed due to the Karabakh conflict and Armenian-Azerbaijani confrontation, and the railway through Georgia has not worked since the Georgian-Abkhaz war in the early 90’s. Calling Russia a “possible partner”, Vashadze could not do without traditional anti-Russian attacks, saying about the threats for the security of Georgia allegedly coming from “the north”.
All the above not only means that Georgia continues its anti-Russian policy, but also it continues to be a destabilizing factor in the Caucasus. Becoming, essentially, an American foothold in this region, Georgia is trying to get involved the other two Transcaucasian republics in politics pursued by Washington. This is extremely dangerous, especially given the U.S.’ aggressive anti-Iranian plans entirely supported by the government of Georgia whose territory the Pentagon plans to use for an attack on Iran.
But the military operation against Iran prepared across the pond is supported by neither Baku nor Yerevan, so Tbilisi (urged by Washington) can not persuade the neighbors to a military cooperation with the United States. Tbilisi can not either unite with Baku and Yerevan on the anti-Russian basis. On a recent visit to Baku, Mikhail Saakashvili tried very much to make an ally of Azerbaijan, trying to profit by the official Baku’s dissatisfaction with Russia’s intermediary mission in the Karabakh conflict that due to reasons beyond Moscow’s control (too complicated problem) has not yet led to real results. Saakashvili said in Baku that the thing that Azerbaijan and Georgia have in common is that they have suffered territorial losses. Azerbaijan lost Nagorno-Karabakh, and Georgia - Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The Georgian leader to the approving applause of the Azerbaijani Parliament urged not to tolerate the loss of their “legitimate” areas and fight to the end. But the Georgian president’s anti-Russian rhetoric in Baku did not find supporters; moreover, it met with serious objections. Ilham Aliyev does not intend at all to quarrel with Moscow in order to please Saakashvili. Because Azerbaijan and Russia are tied by the long-term economic and political interests, not to mention the fact that the Karabakh conflict can not be resolved without Russia (no matter what Baku’s attitude is towards the efficiency of its mediation efforts).
Well, for Armenia, Russia was and remains the main strategic partner and ally, whose help this country just can not do without. To this we can add the Armenian people’s historical attachment to Russia that has always maintained in the eyes of millions of Armenians an image of a true friend and liberator. As regards the attitude towards the U.S., although both Baku and Yerevan are ready to cooperate with Washington in a variety of areas, but its anti-Russian orientation is out of the question. Both Azerbaijan and Armenia have made it clear to Saakashvili.
So the plans, Washington has nurtured since the collapse of the Soviet Union, to penetrate the Caucasus and pull this important region being rich in energy resources and having access to the two seas - the Caspian and the Black Seas, into its military political orbit, are difficult to implement. They succeeded only in relation to Georgia, but it is not enough for Washington, and the U.S. continues to push Saakashvili to try to create an anti-Russian bloc.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s interests, its people’s do not need any confrontation with Russia by cooperation with it. This is said in their speeches at numerous meetings by Georgian oppositionists requiring a change of political course, Saakashvili’s resignation. His anti-democratic domestic policies (prosecution of oppositionists, infringement of national minorities’ rights), decried even by Washington, his outright pro-American foreign policy made the figure of the current Georgian president odious to most of his countrymen.
Saakashvili is fond of saying about common interests of the peoples of Transcaucasia, but the story of the refusal of the reconstruction of the railway linking Russia with Georgia and Armenia, proves the falsity of this rhetoric. The railway that would be a lifeline for Armenia and a road of friendship with Russia is not needed for Saakashvili. He obviously prefers a deadlock.
