Government criticized for Russian-Abkhazian treaty

The Alliance and Partnership treaty signed between Russia and Abkhazia has placed the current Georgian government in a very difficult situation. The Georgian Dream government has promised to regulate relations with Russia. However, the government has failed to settle relations with Russia regarding the most essential issue- Georgia’s territorial integrity.

The current government was criticized from different sides because of the treaty. The opposition United National Movement (UNM) claims that the Georgian Dream government’s “warm” attitude towards Russia precipitated the recent developments regarding the de-facto independent region. They stress that the government has failed to properly inform the international community over Russia’s imperialistic actions towards Georgia. The UNM appealed to parliament to adopt a resolution with regard to joining the EU sanctions against Russia and abolish regular meetings between the two countries’ special envoys. They also stress the importance of filing suits against Russia at international courts.

However, non-parliamentary opposition leader Nino Burjanadze accuses the government of something different. She states that the constant statements about NATO membership provoked this treaty. She suggests that Georgia will have to make a choice between its territorial integrity and the illusion of being a NATO member. She also stated that the current government did not take any substantive steps to find a common language with the de-facto regions.

The current government meanwhile has already assessed the treaty as a step by Russia to annex the Georgian regions and accused Russia of violating international law.

“Georgia will never give up its regions and Georgian-Russian relations will be dependent on how much Russia respects this fact,” Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili’s statement reads.

Georgia’s Foreign Minister Tamar Beruchashvili stated that the government will raise the issue at various international organizations. Georgia has already demanded that the UN Security Council convene a meeting.

“We will address the problem with the EU, NATO and CoE. We are planning foreign visits as well,” Beruchashvili said.

It is more important how Georgia will react to the Russian actions in the future, as the international community might only verbally condemn Russia’s intransigence.