Nagorno Karabakh recognises Abkhazia

Armenian and Russian media outlets have recently reported that the unrecognised 'Nagorno Karabakh Republic' (NKR) has recognised Abkhazia as an independent state. Representatives of the Georgian Government see this as rather a joke. One unrecognised entity has recognised another, so what? This is meaningless. However the Georgian population and some opposition members have reacted angrily to the NKR's declaration, as it is understood that it would not take such a decision without the consent of Yerevan.

The newspaper Asaval-Dasavali comments that neither Bagapsh nor Kokoity takes any serious decisions without Moscow’s consent. Similarly the Karabakh leadership does not take any decisions without Yerevan’s endorsement. What is particularly annoying to Georgians is that this declaration has come just after the Georgian President has hosted his Armenian counterpart in Batumi and the Larsi checkpoint has been reopened, to the great satisfaction of the Armenian side. The popular view is that Georgia has taken Armenia’s interests into consideration but it seems Armenia does not do the same in return. Opposition members are particularly critical of Saakashvili for putting the country in this position.

The report that Abkhazia has been recognised by Karabakh has not been officially confirmed. The outlets saying this are quoting the so-called Foreign Relations Committee Chairman of the Karabakh Parliament Vargam Atanesian, who has allegedly said that so-called Karabakh President Bako Saakian's presence at the inauguration of so-called Abkhazian President Bagapsh is a confirmation of this recognition and in the near future Stepanakert and Sokhumi will establish diplomatic relations.

Georgian Minister of Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili has called the reports misinformation. Political analyst Mamuka Areshidze also thinks that an oral statement not confirmed by a document has no meaning at all. He also doubts that the Armenian leadership would allow such a thing to happen. If the report is just a vague warning we should analyse who it is targeted at, but if the report is true Tbilisi will need to clear the matter up with Yerevan. Maybe misinformation has been deliberately put out to see what Georgia’s reaction would be, but if the report is true Moscow will be the main beneficiary of the NKR's action, because it will help it further its divide and rule policy, as if it needs any more help.

Some analysts think that Russia actually wanted to keep the recently reopened Larsi checkpoint closed, as this made it a source of potential confrontation between Armenia and Georgia. In the event of such a conflict Russia would have even more opportunities to intervene and chop up the territories of its neighbours. All this might explain Georgia's desire to reopen it, but you can only reopen the checkpoint once. NKR recognising Abkhazia may be nonsense, but there is such a thing as dangerous nonsense.