“How to get warm?”: Georgian press digest

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How to get warm?

The Jan 22 explosions on the Mozdok-Tbilisi gas artery and the damage of the Kavkasioni power transmission line have disrupted Georgia's electricity communication with Russia, reports Akhali Taoba Jan 23. Georgia has, in fact, got into an energy blockade. The first reaction of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was harsh: the explosion of the gas pipeline is a sabotage, and Russia is a blackmailer. “The Russian Federation has committed a very grave act of sabotage against our energy system,” Saakashvili said in his special speech. He said that this was “an attempt by Russia to force Georgia to give it its main gas pipeline and other gas infrastructure” and noted that Russian officials had repeatedly threatened that they would cut off gas and electricity to Georgia. Saakashvili demanded that the Russian authorities take urgent measures to restore the energy supplies to Georgia in compliance with the contractual commitments — as reliable partners generally do.

Those protesting in front of the headquarters of the Group of Russian Troops in the South Caucasus and the Embassy of Russia in Georgia charged Russia with applying energy levers to exert political pressure on Georgia. They said that the explosions on the gas pipelines and Kavkasioni PTL were a response to the Georgian Parliament's plans to pass a resolution on the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeepers from the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. It should be noted that Jan 20 the Georgian Parliament urged the country's Government to demand straightforwardly that the Russian peacekeepers leave the zone and to declare them occupants if they refuse. But things are not that easy.

The gas pipeline is actually worn out and might well explode “on its own” with no help from the Russians. So, it would be better for our authorities, first, to put the pipe in order and, only then, to start opening new parks and fountains. Today people in Georgia have forgotten about the bird flu and are more concerned for how to get warm. The authorities ask them not to panic and say they are doing their best to remove the energy problems. People do not believe them and just hope for good weather — but the weather has let them down: Georgia has seen no such frost for already a long time.

The Georgian International Gas Corporation has begun to import gas from Azerbaijan. Georgian Fuel and Energy Minister Nika Gilauri and GIGC President David Ingorokva have negotiated gas purchase in Iran and then went to Baku. (Akhali Taoba)

The alarming state of Russian-Georgian relations

Georgia has shown controversial reaction to the energy crisis, reports Alia Jan 24-25. Some are harshly anti-Russian, others are more careful. “It must have been a terrorist act,” which is proved by the report about an explosive found on the scene, Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Georgy Khaindrava says to Ekho Moskvy radio station. He believes that the authors of the act were “the enemies” of Russia and Georgia, people who are trying to “drive a hedge” between the two countries. Ambassador of Russia in Georgia Vladimir Chkhikvishvili says that the situation is “one more blow on the Russian-Georgian relations, which makes questionable the very expedience of cooperation under new energy projects.”

In a press-conference Jan 23 Chkhikvishvili called for suspending the drafting of the Georgian-Russian framework agreement. “When last year we worked out an agreement on the withdrawal of the Russian military bases from Georgia, our relations began to show some positive improvement, but the following events have brought this progress to naught — today our relations are developing abnormally and their state is alarming.” (Alia)

They tell legends of what the Georgian law enforcers can do

The Public Prosecutor's Office of Russia has qualified the blowing up of the gas pipeline in North Ossetia as a terrorist act, reports Khvalindeli Dge. But initially the office called it a deliberate property damage, with a similar case instituted on the explosion of the power transmission line in Karachayevo-Cherkessia. Deputy Public Prosecutor of Russia Nikolay Shepel refutes pointblank any complicity of the Russian special services in the sabotage, with Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili refuting as pointblank the counter-charge by Russia. He says that the Georgian Interior Ministry acts only within the territory of its own country, but the very fact that the above acts took place in Russia, some 400-500 km far from the Georgian border, proves that the enemies are afraid of committing terrorist acts in Georgia's territory.

Even though they tell legends of what the Georgian law enforcers can do, and they themselves believe they can disclose any terrorist act, I don't think the Georgian special services are so good as to make terrorist acts at such a distance, says Merabishvili. Meanwhile, they in Armenia refute that President Kocharyan has told President Putin that he can give Gazprom 45% of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline in exchange for no-raise in the Russian gas price for Armenia in 2006. Kocharyan's spokesman Viktor Sogomonyan says that this report “is absolutely untrue.”

Georgian MP Kote Gabashvili says that Georgia's independence depends on its energy independence, and so, the country will seek for alternatives. Gabashvili believes that the explosions were planned. He says that he is not a prosecutor and does not know what they in the Russian prosecutor’s office will find out, but one thing is clear — “we cannot rely on Russia.” Promising a helping hand in the matter is Iran. In a phone talk the Iranian FM has told his Georgian counterpart that Iran is concerned over the energy crisis in Georgia and is ready to provide gas to help the country out of it. Presently Georgian and Iranian power engineers are working on the issue. (Khvalindeli Dge)

Russia-Georgia: pseudo-partner relations

The exploding gas and electricity lines have caused one more tension in the Russian-Georgia pseudo-partnership, says Akhali 7 Dge daily Jan 27. How much of economic partnership can one expect from a member of a hostile military-political alliance? How much dependant can people in Georgia be on the “Gas-Putin” Russia? For how long can one co-exist in two opposite geo-political spaces? The member of the Republican Party of Georgia David Berdzenishvili says that the problem is that Georgia has no clear political line with respect to Russia. One cannot want to exist in Russia's space and, at the same time, severely — at times beyond all measure and control — criticize it. The criticism is right, while the existence in Russia's space is inadmissible. For as long as Georgia stays in the CIS, Russia will take the rigidness of Georgian politicians as the riot of a vassal: the master does not like when the slave goes too far. Georgia has gone too far and has got in kind, says Berdzenishvili. “In our time, we might refuse to join the CIS, like the Baltic state did, but then the Shevardnadze entourage decided that by joining we would improve our relations with Russia, who would give us Abkhazia and Tskhinvali. But they failed to consider Russia's imperial mentality,” says Berdzenishvili. He says that the key to the problem is simple: Russia must have no illusions that it will be able to control Georgia. To attain this we must not stay in Russia's space, especially as we want to join NATO and the EU. It is a pity that the president and government of Georgia were though active and aggressive over the sale of the central gasmain to Gazprom, but still not smart enough to raise the key issue: the necessity of Georgia's secession from the CIS," says Berdzenishvili. Today the foreign and home policies are just an experiment rather than, preferably, a real action. It is clear that the secession from the CIS is not a guarantee that our problems will be solved but a means we can use to solve them," says Berdzenishvili. As regards the last events, Russia has already used most of its pressure arsenal. The problem is that however strong is the neighbor state, we must not fear it. “If we stay dependent from Russia, we will constantly suffer from such aggressive attacks. If Russia has certain levers against us, we also have — against Russia and its partners: not only Georgia gets Russian gas via this pipe…

In some few years we will not be as dependent from Russia in energy as we are today. We must restructure our energy system to get free from Russia and we can do this. Today our authorities have a very superficial notion of the system policy, one cannot make decisions through a deal — I give the gasmain, you give South Ossetia. Russia itself has gained nothing from the sabotage,” says Berdzenishvili. The absence of system in the Georgian authorities is a drop in the sea as compared with what is going on in Russia. The authorities in Russia live in Russia of different times at one time: its ambitions are as big as in the Soviet times, but its capacities are 20 times as small as then. And it can in no way get it that it is somewhere low in the second ten of the world's countries. In general, the key help for Russia would be to convince it of the impossibility of imperialism. (Akhali 7 Dge)

The authorities are trying to get everything by PR

Opposition MP Gocha Jojua says that a political crisis is possible in Georgia, reports Akhali Taoba Jan 23. Unlike those calling for the parliament's dissolution, Jojua sees salvation in the parliament itself. He admits that the present parliament does not fully reflect the interests and moods of the people but it can alleviate the situation by radical legislative reforms. Experts forecast government changes and say that Gogi Tatukhashvili was appointed as the national guards’ commander just to weaken and restrain Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, whose high rating is dangerous. Jojua carps the government for appointing people because of their loyalty, he also blames it for liquidating people during special operations. All this is a proof of weakness — and unlike Shevardnadze, who got weak at the end of his rule, the present authorities have shown one from the very beginning. Why so? The authorities are at a loss: they knew how to come into power but they had no idea why. People too will soon ask themselves — who does the power protect? There are no social groups whose interests the power would protect. The interest of the rulers is to stay in power, and the power itself expects no political crisis since nobody criticizes it except for media and a small part of the society.

That is, there is no public control. Jojua says that he does not see anybody in the government able to control his actions. Georgia is not just an object for share by America and Russia. The authorities have failed to establish normal relations with the outer world and are trying to get everything by PR. Though the parliament has lost its function, it is still a direct representative of the people and its emotional mouthpiece. But it is constantly being discredited. Though doing their best to restore the country's territorial integrity, the authorities are, at the same time, trying to avoid the discomfort they get from refugees. They are trying to deal only with people having no problems. Like the previous presidents Saakashvili too does nothing to unite the society — possibly because of inexperience. Jojua does not care for what will happen with the authorities if there is a political crisis — he cares for the country, who is now in a dire state. The parliament will manage to bring the country out of the crisis, if the speaker and MPs realize this and undertake the government until the president has dissolved the parliament. Should the president do this, he will get in a worse position himself. Realizing this are also the opposition and partly the parliamentary majority. It is getting time for the country to switch to the parliamentary government. (Akhali Taoba)

Yesterday the Democratic Front parliamentary faction and several Georgian NGOs presented their bill on disclosure of secret files, reports Khvalindeli Dge Jan 26. The objective of the bill is to debar from governance Soviet-time special service agents. The NGOs presented their remarks and proposals on the bill, which is based on the experience of the Czech Republic and Lithuania. The bill is to ensure the national security of the country, the protection of the interests of the state and the population and the safety of those who have cooperated with the Soviet special services. The bill specifies how Soviet secret agents should be registered, how they can voluntarily confess and what official restrictions should be applied to them. The bill sets up a presidential commission to publish the files of those seeking elected positions instead of just putting a ban. The bill also gives a list of the positions former secret agents cannot be appointed to. The authors say that the bill introduces a new institution — voluntary confession of former spies. Within 6 months after the enforcement of the law, such people should file a written application to the commission or provide it with available information and documentation on their activities in special services.

The president of the Association of Young Lawyers Anna Dolidze does not hope that the parliament will adopt the bill. The association is ready to cooperate with the parliamentary factions to improve the document. Dolidze fears lest the presidential commission might get into the hands of one political group and become controllable. She proposes that the commission be formed outside the parliament. The bill allows the parliamentary factions to have each one member in the commission. Dolidze demands that former Soviet secret agents be forbidden to teach in universities. (Khvalideli Dge)

Abkhazia and South Ossetia

The leaders of Tskhinvali and Transdnestr and then Abkhazia have come to Moscow these days, reports Rezonansi Jan 28. Unofficial sources report the separatist leaders to be considering what they will do if the Russian peacekeepers leave their regions and to be waiting for relevant instructions from the Kremlin. Naturally, the presidents of the unrecognized republics are against the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeepers from their regions and the change of the peacekeeping format. The statement of the Tskhinvali representative to Moscow Dmitry Medoyev has proved the fact that in Moscow the separatist leaders will meet with high-ranking officials. Medoyev says that the Russian authorities will not leave in danger their own citizens in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He says that “Kokoity and Bagapsh will meet in the company of those really making decisions in the post-Soviet area.” Concerning the visit of Bagapsh to Moscow Foreign Minister of the Sukhumi regime Sergey Shamba says that during the visit the sides will consider a complex of energy and political problems. Shamba refuses to specify the details. But it has become known that the Russian State Duma has instructed a number of its committees to quickly consider the alarming situation in South Ossetia and the possible withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from the conflict zones.

These days the regional policy committee is working on a draft statement for improving the conditions of the Russian servicemen given the hard energy crisis in Georgia. The author of the draft is Viktor Alksnis, State Duma deputy well known for his anti-Georgian stance, who says that “Georgia is plotting an attack on South Ossetia.” Despite optimism by the separatist leaders and their representatives, some Russian experts say that this time the Abkhazians and Ossetians will be refused support by Moscow. The secretary of the State Duma's working group on the Caucasus Alexey Vaschenko says that the Kremlin has already given away both Abkhazia and South Ossetia and is now giving a requiem for their leaders.

Political scientist Paata Zakareishvili does not share this view. He says that Moscow could well instruct the leaders separately, and their demonstrative arrival to Moscow is partly to show the world that it is Russia who pulls the strings in the regions. While the UN is getting ready for its 60th congress, they in Moscow must show the world that it is Russia rather than Georgia and Moldova who has a big role in the regions. (Rezonansi)