Translated material
Cubic meters of friendship
Russia returns ambassador to Georgia
Yesterday, Moscow effectively demonstrated to the international community, concerned about the Russian-Georgian confrontation, its readiness to normalize relations with Tbilisi. During a personal meeting, President Vladimir Putin instructed the ambassador to Georgia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, who was recalled in September 2006, to return to Tbilisi and continue his work. Due to the rapid escalation of political differences last fall, Mr. Kovalenko did not even have time to present his credentials to the Georgian leadership.Let us recall that the day after the arrest in Tbilisi on September 27, 2006, on suspicion of espionage, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to recall the ambassador for consultations and evacuate other diplomats. On September 29, the Russian ambassador and most of the mission staff, as well as their families, left Tbilisi. The imprisonment of the Russian military turned out to be short-lived - on October 2, Georgia handed them over to the current OSCE Chairman Karl de Gucht, who flew to Tbilisi specially.
Receiving the head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Georgia yesterday in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin emphasized the consistency of Moscow’s actions. In November 2006, at the CIS summit in Minsk, the presidents of Russia and Georgia agreed on how to gradually overcome the crisis. “The first significant step was taken in December last year, when we signed a corresponding agreement on the supply of Russian gas to Georgia . It is important that these supplies will be carried out on market principles, said Vladimir Putin. “The parties have made commitments, and Russia is fulfilling them.” The price for one thousand cubic meters of Russian gas for Georgia was increased from $110 to $235. Georgia spoke long and hard about “energy blackmail,” but was forced to agree to a new price. Moreover, she did this at the last moment, when it became obvious that it was impossible to completely abandon Russian supplies at the expense of Azerbaijani gas from the Shah Deniz field, and American patrons of Georgia allow Georgia to purchase gas from Iran only under force majeure circumstances.
Vladimir Putin noted that the ambassador is returning to a country “with which Russia has had not just special relations for centuries, but relations of good neighborliness and friendship.” “Moreover,” the president emphasized, “for many centuries our countries have had a special destiny. Unfortunately, in recent years we have encountered certain problems in our relations.”
However, “known issues” will continue to occur. And this will happen very soon in connection with Russia's role in resolving the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia . Moscow’s proposals to hear the position of representatives of Sukhumi and Tskhinvali early next week in PACE committees, as well as to give the floor to the Abkhazians in April at the UN Security Council meeting on the Georgian-Abkhaz settlement in Tbilisi, have already been called “support for separatism.” Vladimir Putin clearly stated at a meeting with Vyacheslav Kovalenko about the growing role of “Russia in resolving existing conflicts on the territory of the former USSR,” emphasizing that “this is also one of the most important areas of our activity.”
“Georgia will continue this year’s policy of squeezing Russia out of the region,” Sergei Shamba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the unrecognized republic of Abkhazia, told Vremya Novostei. - We expect serious aggravations, since the solution to the Kosovo issue will certainly affect our affairs. Russia for a universal approach to conflict resolution. But Georgia is not happy with this; it views Kosovo as a unique case.” However, the West also resolutely refuses to consider the possible independence of Kosovo as a precedent for resolving other conflicts.
“Of course, one cannot but welcome the return of the ambassador . This means that things are moving towards improvement, which meets the interests of both Georgia and Russia, Konstantin Gabashvili, chairman of the committee on external relations of the Georgian parliament, told Vremya Novostei. - But this does not mean that all problems are solved. Let's see what position Russia will take in PACE when considering the situation in Georgia, in conflict zones, and then on January 24 in the UN Security Council, where a preliminary discussion of the Abkhaz conflict will take place under Russian chairmanship. We received a positive signal from Moscow in the form of the return of the ambassador. But just as we called bad things bad and good things, that’s what we will call them.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday informed his Georgian counterpart Gela Bezhuashvili by telephone about the return of Russian diplomats. “The Georgian side welcomed this decision,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry told Vremya Novostei. For the Georgian citizen, no less important is the issue of resuming full operation of the Russian Embassy, as well as the prospects for restoring transport links, interrupted by order of the Russian President in early October last year.
A Vremya Novostei source at the Russian Embassy reported that in the “normal regime” up to 100 thousand visas were issued to Georgian citizens a year, and since September last year, visas have been issued only in emergency cases of a humanitarian nature. The return of the ambassador will allow the embassy to fully resume operations. At the Tbilisi representative office of Aeroflot, we were told that the company’s flights are “not planned” until March 24, that is, until the end of the winter period. However, as of March 24, “they were already included in the schedule” - and before yesterday’s decision to return the ambassador to Tbilisi. Until September last year, Aeroflot operated six flights a week on the Moscow-Tbilisi route; other Russian and Georgian airlines also operated flights between the two countries.
“Russia could not fail to take into account the wishes of the international community to resume contacts with Georgia,” Georgian political scientist Shalva Pichkhadze told Vremya Novostei. “It’s not normal for neighbors to have such terrible relationships.” I think that over time Russia will lift the embargo on supplies of Georgian products.” The most painful decision for Georgia was Russia's decision to ban the supply of wine and mineral waters, taken in the spring of 2006. In total, due to Russian sanctions, Georgia lost up to $300 million. However, according to the newspaper’s interlocutor, Georgia in any case will not give up the anti-Russian rhetoric that has become an integral part of the policy of the country’s leadership. “Such rhetoric sells well in the domestic market,” Mr. Pichkhadze noted.