Where Does Georgia Stand in the Black and White World of the Russia-Ukraine War?
By Malkhaz Matsaberidze
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Putin's Russian attack on Ukraine has made the world black and white, with Russia and now Belarus on one side, and on the other side – Ukraine, which is heroically defending itself.
Georgia is in a double state. People unequivocally express their support for Ukraine, which we can not say about the government with such a solution.
Georgia's position seemed to be clear, Georgia is a strategic partner of Ukraine, and is suffering from Russian aggression and 20% of its territory is occupied by Russia. In August 2008, during the Russian aggression, Ukrainian President Yushchenko was among the European presidents who arrived in Tbilisi and risked their lives.
It is clear that Ukraine expected much more from Georgia than from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan or Armenia. The Georgian people also received public thanks from President Zelensky for the mass rallies in support of Ukraine, which we can not say about the Georgian government.
The Georgian Dream, according to its parliamentary and governmental figures, supports Ukraine, however, the forms of self-expression also cause dissatisfaction in Georgia and abroad. Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili has repeatedly stated that he will be guided by "Georgia's pragmatic and national interests."
And did not join the sanctions imposed on Russia, stressing that the sanctions “did not work” and that the Ukrainian leadership “didn’t manage to avoid war.” Georgia, unlike in 2008, has maintained peace.
According to Gharibashvili, if Mikheil Saakashvili were in power now, “the war would start first in Tbilisi and then in Kyiv.”
Georgia’s not joining the sanctions could have been regarded as more sensible as Moldova didn’t either. But the tone of the statement made by the Prime Minister made it out as if Georgia was being dragged into the war.
It should be noted that the President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili, who found herself in this position with the support of the Georgian Dream, distanced herself from such statements by Gharibashvili.
Perhaps the last straw for Zelensky was the non-receipt of a plane sent from Ukraine to Tbilisi, despite a request from the Ukrainian authorities. This plane was to be flown by a group of volunteers from Georgia.
According to the Georgian authorities, sending volunteers to Ukraine was tantamount to joining the Ukrainian side in the war.
The statements and actions of the Georgian government were followed by the summoning of the Ambassador of Ukraine from Georgia by President Zelensky for consultations. According to the Ukrainian embassy, there were two main reasons for the recall: the “immoral position of the government” regarding sanctions and the obstruction of sending volunteers to Ukraine.
Clear statements were made in the Rada of Ukraine. “The Georgian government, with its decision regarding Ukraine, is betraying the Georgian people and also the Ukrainians - by not imposing sanctions on Russia, by preventing Georgian volunteers from coming to Ukraine. It was from these actions that the Ambassador of Ukraine from Georgia happened and this is the right decision.
The population of Georgia should think about what kind of government it has. Unfortunately, the Georgian government has chosen the policies of dictator, aggressor Putin and Lukashenko. “The government in Georgia should be changed as soon as possible,” said Alexei Goncharenko, a member of the Ukrainian Rada.
Former Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anatoly Gritsenko stated:
“War makes everything black and white ... The current government of Georgia is foreign to us. We will see how the Georgian people, whom we helped in every way in 2008, will behave.” Georgia as we see it now, with such a government and people electing and enduring such a government, can no longer be our strategic partner.
Official Tbilisi considered the ambassador's recall “absolutely unacceptable and unjustified.” Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the Georgian Dream, said that they were trying to involve Georgia directly in the military conflict and that the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to recall the ambassador “is an expression of this coordinated action.”
In Georgia, the United National Movement, which also has representatives in the Ukrainian government, “Davit Arakhamia, Zurab Adeishvili and other Georgian criminals,” announced itself as part of this coordination.
David Kramer, director of the Bush Institute, says the incident is likely to strain relations between Georgia and Ukraine. Kramer blames Gharibashvili and Bidzina Ivanishvili hiding in the shadows. According to Kramer, Georgia must join the sanctions against Russia, and the parliament must pass a resolution declaring Russia an aggressor.
Opposition groups called for a halt to the protests, saying “the closure of Russian airspace, the closure of Russian propaganda media outlets in Georgia, and the start of negotiations on sanctions.” Also make an urgent application for EU membership. Added to this was the demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili.
The opposition and civil society believe that Gharibashvili is not a suitable figure in the current crisis and should resign because of his ‘degrading statements’ about Ukraine. “He is repeating the Kremlin propaganda and moving away from the Western course,” said Nika Melia, the leader of the United National Movement.
The civil sector advises the opposition to start a no-confidence motion against the government. This requires 51 votes and the parliamentary opposition may be able to collect this number of votes. Consultations between the opposition parties have begun.