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The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 15 2004
Misunderstandings of strategic partnerships
The Georgian-Azeri strategic partnership, centered on coinciding
political and economic interests of the two countries, is considered
to be one of the central tenets of Caucasus politics. But this
relationship has recently faced some very public disruptions.
Confusion between Georgian and Azeri officials emerged when
Azerbaijan's customs inspectors began increased inspection of
Georgian cargo. They suspected that part of this cargo was bound for
Armenia, and soon Georgian businesses were complaining they faced
detrimental delays in shipping from Azerbaijan. Soon afterwards, the
Georgian media speculated that Azerbaijan is beginning to suspect
that the new Rose Revolution government is in fact friendlier towards
Armenia.
But concerns more volatile than railroad cars have also emerged. On
December 3, an elderly ethnic-Azeri woman was killed when she and a
group of armed protestors converged on a large farm to demand the
right to use the land. Then last Wednesday, December 8, special
forces from the Financial Police raided the village Vakhtangisi
bordering Azerbaijan in the same Marneuli region in an effort to
crack down on smuggled goods.
A spokesman for the Financial Police told Rustavi-2 that the village
was known as the 'capital of contraband.' Despite protesting
residents who even temporarily held captive some officers, the
Financial Police seized goods valued at GEL 5 million and took them
to the Lilo Customs checkpoint for inspection.
Azerbaijan responded to all of these issues. An Azeri union of NGOs
launched an appeal to President Mikheil Saakashvili demanding that
Tbilisi protects the rights of local ethnic Azeris. Speaker of
Azerbaijan's national assembly Mili-Majlis Murtuz Aleskerov expressed
his discontent with the fact that over 500,000 Azerbaijanis reside in
Georgia, but that they are not employed on the construction of the
BTC oil pipeline. "Georgia should understand that its future income
as a sovereign state will depend on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum pipelines," Aleskerov declared at a session of
the Mili-Majlis on Tuesday, December 7.
He added that a special commission of four Mili-Majlis MPs has been
created to investigate these issues in Georgia, including land
distribution in the Marneuli region. As part of this investigation, a
delegation from the Azeri government visited Georgia early this week.
In Georgian circles, the Azeri reaction was seen as an over-reaction
by a neighboring country. "I advise to my Azeri colleagues to be more
careful with such issues. I think this subject is being deliberately
stirred up. Azerbaijan's authority is misinformed," stated the head
of Georgia's committee on foreign relations MP Kota Gabashvili, as
quoted by the newspaper Akhali Taoba.
Over the past year, the Georgian and Azeri governments have
demonstrated high levels of cooperation. Both countries' ministers of
education have traveled to visit ethnic minority regions (i.e.
Georgia's Lomaia has visited ethnic Georgians living in Azeribaijan,
and vice versa) and brought with them 'native language' text books
and teaching materials.
For both countries, the issue of ethnic minorities is a sensitive
issue that requires the emergence of an idea that citizenship is
based on geography and not ethnicity. This is a difficult task for
the Caucasus region where ethnicity and heritage are patriotic
buzzwords.
But there are also signs the two countries are politically astute
enough to deal with the current events through other means. Georgia's
president replaced his representative in the Shida Kartli region and
President Aliev of Azerbaijan stated on Friday that there are and
will be no problems along the Georgian-Azeri border.
Recently a Georgian delegation participated in the ceremonies
commemorating the first anniversary of death of President Heidar
Aliev. The representatives of both countries stressed upon the fact
that Georgia and Azerbaijan are strategic partners and they will not
deviate from the direction of close partnership and friendship. With
BTC set to go online in the coming months, they will have even more
motivation to do so.
Dec 15 2004
Misunderstandings of strategic partnerships
The Georgian-Azeri strategic partnership, centered on coinciding
political and economic interests of the two countries, is considered
to be one of the central tenets of Caucasus politics. But this
relationship has recently faced some very public disruptions.
Confusion between Georgian and Azeri officials emerged when
Azerbaijan's customs inspectors began increased inspection of
Georgian cargo. They suspected that part of this cargo was bound for
Armenia, and soon Georgian businesses were complaining they faced
detrimental delays in shipping from Azerbaijan. Soon afterwards, the
Georgian media speculated that Azerbaijan is beginning to suspect
that the new Rose Revolution government is in fact friendlier towards
Armenia.
But concerns more volatile than railroad cars have also emerged. On
December 3, an elderly ethnic-Azeri woman was killed when she and a
group of armed protestors converged on a large farm to demand the
right to use the land. Then last Wednesday, December 8, special
forces from the Financial Police raided the village Vakhtangisi
bordering Azerbaijan in the same Marneuli region in an effort to
crack down on smuggled goods.
A spokesman for the Financial Police told Rustavi-2 that the village
was known as the 'capital of contraband.' Despite protesting
residents who even temporarily held captive some officers, the
Financial Police seized goods valued at GEL 5 million and took them
to the Lilo Customs checkpoint for inspection.
Azerbaijan responded to all of these issues. An Azeri union of NGOs
launched an appeal to President Mikheil Saakashvili demanding that
Tbilisi protects the rights of local ethnic Azeris. Speaker of
Azerbaijan's national assembly Mili-Majlis Murtuz Aleskerov expressed
his discontent with the fact that over 500,000 Azerbaijanis reside in
Georgia, but that they are not employed on the construction of the
BTC oil pipeline. "Georgia should understand that its future income
as a sovereign state will depend on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum pipelines," Aleskerov declared at a session of
the Mili-Majlis on Tuesday, December 7.
He added that a special commission of four Mili-Majlis MPs has been
created to investigate these issues in Georgia, including land
distribution in the Marneuli region. As part of this investigation, a
delegation from the Azeri government visited Georgia early this week.
In Georgian circles, the Azeri reaction was seen as an over-reaction
by a neighboring country. "I advise to my Azeri colleagues to be more
careful with such issues. I think this subject is being deliberately
stirred up. Azerbaijan's authority is misinformed," stated the head
of Georgia's committee on foreign relations MP Kota Gabashvili, as
quoted by the newspaper Akhali Taoba.
Over the past year, the Georgian and Azeri governments have
demonstrated high levels of cooperation. Both countries' ministers of
education have traveled to visit ethnic minority regions (i.e.
Georgia's Lomaia has visited ethnic Georgians living in Azeribaijan,
and vice versa) and brought with them 'native language' text books
and teaching materials.
For both countries, the issue of ethnic minorities is a sensitive
issue that requires the emergence of an idea that citizenship is
based on geography and not ethnicity. This is a difficult task for
the Caucasus region where ethnicity and heritage are patriotic
buzzwords.
But there are also signs the two countries are politically astute
enough to deal with the current events through other means. Georgia's
president replaced his representative in the Shida Kartli region and
President Aliev of Azerbaijan stated on Friday that there are and
will be no problems along the Georgian-Azeri border.
Recently a Georgian delegation participated in the ceremonies
commemorating the first anniversary of death of President Heidar
Aliev. The representatives of both countries stressed upon the fact
that Georgia and Azerbaijan are strategic partners and they will not
deviate from the direction of close partnership and friendship. With
BTC set to go online in the coming months, they will have even more
motivation to do so.