Georgia did not lose economically when it left the CIS

For many years the Georgian opposition as well as some economic analysts demanded the withdrawal of Georgia from the CIS, but both the Shevardadze and the Saakashvili administrations were very cautious about taking the final step. There was significant fear among the population that Georgia would face serious consequences if it had taken such a step. It should be remembered that Russia created many problems for Georgia while the latter was a CIS member. First, Moscow imposed economic sanctions on Georgia, such as banning its agricultural products in Russia, creating a visa regime and lifting the free trade protocol. Russia’s complete disdain for Georgia was shown finally when it invaded and occupied Georgia. What could have been worse than that?

Most Georgian economic analysts think that at the moment Georgia has not lost anything by withdrawing from the organization, because it managed to maintain 75 bilateral agreements with almost all CIS countries except Russia. Georgia had already lost the Russian market in 2006 while being a CIS member. This was a very serious blow for Georgia’s economy and it was very difficult for the affected businesses to recover. But there was no chance at all to regain this market under the present circumstances when Russia continues to occupy Georgian territories and establishes puppet regimes there. So there was no reason why Georgia should have remained a member of the CIS.