Moscow’s imperialistic politics: divide and rule

Imperialistic Russia does not stop applying imperialist pressure on Georgia, using different methods to destroy it. It is encouraging Armenia to promote its claims to the Armenian-populated southern Georgian territories and demanding that Armenia recognize the breakaway territories of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as ‘independent states.’ It is also blackmailing Azerbaijan with the same demand, though in both cases in vain.

It has just been revealed by Russian sources (though so far officially unconfirmed) that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has written to his Turkish counterpart suggesting to discuss the Adjara issue with Ankara. The MediaNews agency states that Lavrov is implying that some articles of the Kars agreement of October 13, 1921 be activated. It is difficult to say whether such a letter has indeed been sent or whether it is a Russian invention, but Russia has blackmailed Georgia with this agreement several times in the post-Soviet period. There have often been articles in the Russian media highlighting the possibility of a Turkish threat to Georgia and underlining the need for Russian armed forces in the Adjara region.

Luckily Georgia and Turkey have established good neighbourly relations since Georgia regained its independence. When Moscow blocked land access from Georgia to Russia Turkey became Georgia’s only land access route to Europe and has remained so. Moreover Turkey has become Georgia’s number one trade partner in recent years. It has also contributed considerably to training Georgian soldiers according to NATO standards. The biggest economic projects in the region – the oil and gas pipelines – have made the economic ties between the two countries even stronger.

However there is a high probability that Russia will try to undermine the brotherly relations between Georgia and Turkey. There is a Russian saying: “no smoke without fire.”