Open of official representative of NATO in Georgia – strategy or just moral compensation ?

Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Anders Fogh Rasmussen will be Thursday, September 30, an official visit to Georgia. In Tbilisi, Rasmussen plans to discuss the political situation in this country and the presence of Russian troops on the territory of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Situation in Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was among the issues discussed during the NATO-Russia foreign ministerial meeting in New York on September 22 in the context of conventional arms control in Europe. Also, during his visit Secretary General of NATO will open an official representative of NATO in Georgia.

Nino Kalandadze, the Georgian deputy foreign minister, said that Rasmussen, who announced about the planned visit last week, will meet with President Saakashvili and Parliamentary Chairman Davit Bakradze and will also participate in a ceremony of opening NATO liaison office in Tbilisi on October 1. How can to interpret this move ? Remind that NATO recently sent the invitation to Russia to discuss the possibility of integrating the colossus of the East in the Alliance… We are dealing with a political gesture rather condescending or a clear strategy of NATO for the Caucasus ?

*will continue

Georgia turn off “the business” with CIS

Today, Georgia is to the final to leave the Commonwealth of Independent States. Georgia’s decision to leave CIS was taken by the georgian Parliament on 14 August 2008, and four days later the Foreign Ministry informed the Executive Council of the CIS about this decision. A period followed by 12 months for completion of the procedures stipulated by the CIS. It is the first time in the history of political organization, founded in 1992 with former Soviet republics Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, when use is made of this provision to the leave statute of community by a state.

According to officials in Tbilisi, the withdrawal is because: “in August 2008, a member country of the CIS – Russia has declared war to other countries of the CIS States, has occupied territories and it was recognized as independent entities. Meanwhile Georgian authorities expressed their intention to continue working bilaterally with the countries of the CIS, except Russia obviously.

The terrible day when began the russian-georgian war

In competition with 10-year anniversary of the “Putin Era”, the top posts of Blogosphera was in those days the first anniversary of the Russia-Georgia war. On this occasion, the Russian Premier avoided to avoided with certainly  the possibility of a new intervention, stating instead his hope that Georgian authorities have learned the lesson and that the situation will continue to be stable. But he is contradicts to the recent press release of the Russian ambassador in Bucharest, HE Alexander Churilin: “At the border between South Ossetia and Georgia again smell of a powder”. Also the two movies recently sent to the romanian press from Embassies of Russia and Georgia in Bucharest, in that the two parties accuse each other of the terrible tragedies of immortalized by the eye of video camera, are most handy evidence that media war continues, tensions accumulate steadily and situation is far from being considered definitively resolved. Moreover, in a future edition of international weeklypaper Top Business will publish one material on these issues. Now prefer to give the word of  the journalist  Vladimir Soloviev. Original text (in russian) can be read on his blog here.

“I vividly remember that day a year ago. How probably all, all of us remember. We all waited for the opening of the Olympics but the Olympics  have stolen. And the war began. Couldn’t believe it. Or, I think just not wanted to believe. It seemed so stupid, illogical, strange. It was impossible to imagine that Georgia, a sister republic, whose people have lived so many centuries with us side by side, fought together, shared together the joys and sorrows, suddenly, through its official leaders undertake an act of aggression and start to bomb and shoot from heavy artillery, hail on brother Orthodox Ossetic people.
Orthodox Orthodox killed. Terrible day … Olympics was once forgotten… I remember that I tried to call and call the leadership of NTV, which I then worked. “I said, that could have come, for something to do ? And it was said: «Well.  Not need ». At the «Silver rain» then I wasn’t OnAir. And there too, it was decided not to interrupt,  such was limited the information releases.
Today in Beslan was made by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with a brilliant speech, strong, powerful, emotional. And you can see how what he said, to defer to his heart. He certainly proved himself during the war as  a true leader ,of the country’s Supreme Leader. And it is not easy. But when you are the side of the truth, even the most difficult decision you can take, you know that is need.
These days, of course, in the beginning war was very difficult because Russia was surrounded by a lie, lie, constant denunciate. I was abroad and did what he could. Not only blogs, also talked with foreign friends, tried to enter the foreign media, to give any comments. And both were very, very many.  I appreciated the response of Mr. Churkin, Mr Lavrov. Then, when came the “heavy artillery of informations”, and that means the interviews and statements by the leadership of the country: Mr Medvedev, the President, Prime Minister Putin, then knowledge gradually it became corrected.
… difficult time … hard day, and it is a pity to the families of the deceased, and it is a pity to Ossetic people and feel sorry for the Georgian people, because it is this shame, of course, it is not necessary, it could have been avoided. And we should have been avoided. We would like to see sooner or later the Georgian people to realize the full horror of what happened and not that repented though … although why not? … repented in front of the Ossetian people.
In those days, wrote an excellent, excellent article in my blog, my friend the lawyer Shota Gorgadze. And how much stuff he then listened to his address, how many threats. But honest people will always remain decent human beings, how could they not been threatened and how they may have tried to influence.
I do not want that on my life and the lives of my children have been such fratricidal war. I do not want. I want when the Olympics began, the concern only sport battles … ” ( Vladimir Soloviev )