Georgia-Russia ties: Despite progress, bitterness lingers on

Molly Corso 3/07/07

Nearly two months after the return of Russia's ambassador to Georgia, relations between Moscow and Tbilisi have yet to thaw. While some forms of cooperation between the two neighbors have begun to emerge, the two countries remain at a bitter impasse over Georgia's North Atlantic Treaty Organization ambitions and Russia's continued support of the separatist leaders in breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The most recent area of cooperation is largely unexpected. On March 3, the apparent remains of Georgia's first president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, were recovered in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya thanks to the efforts of the pro-Moscow Chechen government. Controversy has long surrounded the fate of Gamsakhurdia, who committed suicide or was killed during Georgia's 1992-1993 civil war. The topic remains a sensitive one for many Georgians.

According to media reports, the former president's body was recovered in a park in the Chechen capital of Grozny two days after Chechen President-elect Ramzan Kadyrov gave orders for it to be found. The body is still undergoing formal identification, though Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli has said that preparations are in place for a reburial in Georgia, once the identity of the remains is confirmed.

But one observer cautions that while Russia's assistance in locating Gamsakhurdia's alleged remains is an encouraging sign, it does not mean that diplomatic relations between Moscow and Tbilisi have improved.

"It is a positive step, but I don't think it will change Russian-Georgian relations drastically. It was one concrete case when Russian authorities supported the family of Gamsakhurdia," said Vasil Chkoidze, the head of parliament's staff committee on foreign affairs. "Russia's policy toward Georgia today has not changed."

The March 4 parliamentary elections in the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia, whose separatist leadership is backed by Moscow, have provided grounds for a fresh round of sparring. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Georgia and its Western partners have categorically denounced the vote as invalid. But in a March 6 statement, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Mikhail Kamynin characterized the elections as "a continuation of the democratic trends" noticed in Abkhazia's February 2007 local government election. The ministry, however, did not officially recognize the vote.

Georgian analyst Dr. Tina Gogueliani, a foreign relations specialist at the International Center on Conflict and Negotiations in Tbilisi, believes that Russia is "trapped" by its own strategy concerning the Georgian conflicts with Abkhazia and the breakaway region of South Ossetia. "They are hostage to their own policies," she said, noting that while they have been supporting the separatist governments for over a decade, any move to formally recognize the territories will have far reaching implications for Russia and the neighboring autonomous regions within the Russian Federation.

Moscow's decision to return its ambassador to Tbilisi after recalling most of its embassy staff following a September 2006 espionage scandal was initially hailed as a sign that relations were on the mend, but no real breakthrough has since materialized. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].

One of the first public statements by Ambassodor Vyacheslav Kovalenko was a plea for Georgia to remain "neutral."

"Russia wants to see Georgia be an independent, sovereign and neutral state with neighborly relations with Russia," told journalists during a February 6 press conference in Tbilisi to mark his return. "Russia is only aspiring to develop relations based on mutually beneficial and mutually respectful principles."

Georgian officials have interpreted the ambassador's statements as aimed at Georgia's bid to join NATO. Saakashvili, on February 23, affirmed that Georgia will not "turn from its course." While NATO officials have been positive but vague concerning Georgia's potential accession to the alliance, Russian officials have already publicly stated Moscow cannot "permit" Tbilisi to join NATO.

"We have strictly warned both Georgia and those who are actively inviting Georgia to NATO that we will not permit [Georgia's membership]," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on February 28 in an interview with the state-run Russian newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta. "We have stressed that besides common security in this neighboring region, which is so important for the stability of the southern part of Russia, there is another aspect – that is the presence of tens of thousands of Russian citizens in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. We are responsible for them."

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has downplayed Russian objections to his push toward NATO, although he has pointedly toned down his anti-Russian rhetoric over the past month; during a February 23 speech he referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as an "historical" figure for Russia. He added that Georgia wants to have "partnership" relations with Russia.

Education could also provide an opening. In his remarks to reporters, Ambassador Kovalenko, regretting that increasingly fewer young Georgians speak Russian, also stated that Saakashvili and he would work together to open a "Russian school in Tbilisi with branches in all major Georgian cities," news agencies reported. A spokesperson for Georgia's ministry of education acknowledged that such a plan exists, but could not comment on the project's status.

Other problem areas linger on. Russian bans on Georgian wines, mineral waters and fruits still remain in effect. Negotiations about reported outstanding debts by Georgian airlines to the Russian aviation services are ongoing, although the Tbilisi office of Russian carrier Aeroflot states that flights to Moscow are scheduled to resume on March 24. The Russian embassy in Georgia, however, still does not issue visas for Georgian citizens.

According to Gogueliani, while Saakashvili appears to have adopted a more measured tone towards Russia, that does not mean that a diplomatic breakthrough is on the horizon.

"[He] calmed down because of signals given from NATO," she said. "I think that NATO officials gave a signal to the Georgian leadership that there is no need to be so emotional.... It is not necessary to aggravate Russia." NATO officials have given no indication of such intercession.

For Foreign Relations Parliamentary Staff Committee Chairperson Chkoidze, though, in the long run, statements alone – even friendly ones – are meaningless. "I think that these words and statements are not very important.... The more important thing is the real [steps]."

Editor's Note: Molly Corso is a freelance reporter and photojournalist based in Tbilisi.

Posted March 7, 2007 © Eurasianet