IRRESPECTIVE OF GEORGIA’S MEMBERSHIP IN NATO ITS RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA DOOMED TO BE DISSATISFACTORY
By A. Haroutiunian
AZG Armenian Daily
30/07/2008
Regional, Armenia-Georgia
The dividing lines exist in South Caucasus anyways. This is the phrase
with which the whole "Shall Dividing Lines Appear in South Caucasus
in case Georgia enters NATO" discussion can be summarized. The
discussion was held in a television space bridge format between
Yerevan and Tbilisi.
According to Novosti international press center, Armenian parliament
member Armen Ashotian and political scientist Alexander Iskandarian
represented the Armenian side in the discussion. The Georgian side
was represented by political scientists Gia Khukhishvili and Soso
Tsiskarishvili.
Georgia, unlike Armenia and Azerbaijan, in fact has no alternative
political orientation than it has now, Tsiskarishvili said. Georgia is
forced to choose the western direction, which implies its integration
with NATO.
According to Khukhashvili, the Armenia-Georgia relations shall be
preserved and shall be kept in accord with the global and regional
political tendencies. Anyways, Khukhashvili said, Georgia’s membership
in NATO shall have no negative effect on South Caucasus, as NATO is not
only a military organization, but also a system of political standards.
Regarding the so-called dividing lines, the political scientist said
that in the atmosphere of the international globalization of the 21st
century both focusing on the borders and neglecting issues related
to them is wrong.
In global sense the dividing lines occurred in Caucasus right after
the downfall of the USSR, said Armen Ashotian, and added that Georgia’s
membership in NATO will not shift anything in this respect. Therefore,
Armenia and Georgia have to avoid the influence of global politics
in their bilateral relations.
In the very beginning of the television space bridge discussion
Ashotian mentioned that Georgia is involved in a number of
anti-Armenian regional programs, while Armenia has never displayed
anti-Georgian attitudes.
To Alexander Iskandarian’s opinion, sooner or later Georgia will
certainly join the North-Atlantic Treaty, and the most important
point is when it will happen. Iskandarian said he is most interested
whether Armenia and Georgia will be able to preserve their neighborly
relations in despite of the dividing lines, as there has been always
a lot of risk to spoil the relations between the two countries.
The participants of the discussion also referred to the Kars-Akhalkalak
project and Georgia’s position on Armenia’s participation in
it. Tsiskarishvili mentioned that harming a neighbor must not be
the policy of a civilized nation, but the processes in Caucasus show
the opposite.
According to the political scientist, both the European structures
and the USA are rather interested in Georgia as a Southern Caucasian
state than as a Caspian one. In this respect the Kars-Akhalkalak
project cannot be considered as a "golden chance" for Georgia, but
anyways it remains very important in sense of regional cooperation.
Khukhishvili added to his colleague’s words that Georgia warrants
that Armenian goods can always be transported via Georgian Black Sea
ports. Moreover, Georgia also warrants that the Armenian goods will
be transported also via Kars-Akhalkalak route.