Gita Elibekyan
“Radiolur”
Tbilisi
The issue of the possible change of Georgia’s political course is widely discussed in the country today. From the very first day of its activity, the new government headed by Bidzina Ivanishvili has been declaring about the willingness to normalize relations with Russia, at the same time maintaining good relations with the West. President Mikhail Saakashvili and his supporters criticize the new government for deviating from the European path of development and “Armenization” of the foreign policy.
A few days ago President Saakashvili came forth with a proposal to incorporate the Georgian political course in the country’s Constitution.
“After coming to power, the government has made a number of significant statements. The statement of “Armenization” of the country’s foreign policy, particularly the one saying that we should keep an equal distance with NATO and Russia, was one of the main ones. It has not been the course of the Georgian foreign policy before,” Saakashvili said.
Bidzina Ivanishvili was criticized for the “Armenization” of the foreign policy after the statements he made in Yerevan. He declared in Yerevan that Armenia is a good example for Georgia of how to keep good relations with both Russia and NATO.
“The political priorities of Armenia and Georgia are different. Maybe Armenia has build those priorities very correctly, but taking an example from Armenia would mean an abrupt change of the foreign policy course,” political analyst Gia Nodia says. He assesses these statements either as a confession or a result of lack of experience.
According to him, Ivanishvili’s statements on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway also stem from lack of experience. The Prime Minister had questioned the expediency of that railway bypassing Armenia.
Actually it’s hard to say what Saakashvili wants today, Nodia says. “It’s clear that he has vague ideas of what NATO and European Union are, how they work, and what’s the values system in the West,” the political analyst said.
