Georgia fails to secure US key ally status

Initially, the media said that the bill confirmed by the United States Senate did not include a regulation with regard to granting Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine key-ally status.

However, later the speculation was revealed as the truth.

Those supporting Georgia’s pro-Western course claim the senate decision should not become a reason for disappointment, while others stress that Georgia should not rely on only the West and the United States.

According to Radio Liberty, the bill was sent to President Barack Obama for signing on December 12. The report says the bill envisaged other forms of collaboration and financial support for the three post-Soviet countries instead of granting them key ally status.

Member of the Free Democrats, former Minister for Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alex Petriashvili, states that not providing the status will not cause significant problems for Georgia’s Western ambitions.

“Even during the meeting with the Ukrainian president, the US administration stated that granting this status was not on the agenda…Thus, there was nothing unexpected in the decision,” Petriashvili says.

“We should continue close cooperation with the United States because of its support for our integration into NATO, and its help in strengthening our defense capacities,” Petriashvili said.

This aspiration was shared by those supporting Georgia’s recent foreign orientation. However, members of the Democratic Movement United Georgia chaired by Nino Burjanadze state that the fact was one of the signs illustrating Georgia’s false illusions towards NATO and the EU.

“Statements were made as if the bill should not be a reason for disappointment, when the bill is very clear and strict…The West is not ready for our integration and this recent fact confirmed this,” Gigla Baramidze, from Democratic Movement-United Georgia said. The party stresses that Georgia can solve its problems only through high-level dialogue with Russia.

Unfortunately, proponents of dialogue with Russia have not said what the outcome might be from such dialogue, what the stakes are, or if Georgia should concede more to achieve improvement in Georgian-Russian relations. Some even say that Georgia is extra headache for the US and that it wants to get rid of it.

Of course there are “fifty ways to leave your lover” and one of those is to allow Moscow to fulfill its wicked claims over the South Caucasus.