Tweet
Saakashvilii: En Route to Geopolitical Revolution in the Caucasus
ZAMLELOVA Svetlana | 21.10.2010 | 17:15
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2010/10/21/saakashvilii-en-route-to-geopolitical-revolution-in-the-caucasus.html
Georgia Russia
Georgian deputy foreign minister N. Kalandadze announced on October 11
that Georgia planned to unilaterally lift the visa requirements for
Russia's Caucasian republics and to allow Russian citizens residing in
Dagestan, Chechnya, North Ossetia, the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, the
Karachay-Cherkess Republic, and the Republic of Adygea to visit
Georgia for up to 90 days without visas. Georgia's explanation behind
the step is that absent formal diplomatic relations between Georgia
and Russia residents of the above regions have to request visas at the
Georgian Interests Section at the Embassy of Switzerland in Moscow,
which may be fairly inconvenient. For example, those who live in
Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, have to go to Moscow to obtain
Georgian entry visas. Georgia's administration and personally
Saakashvili must have been overwhelmed by compassion for the people of
Russia's part of Caucasus who are forced to endure such complexities
to obtain the much-needed Georgian entry visas.
Russian President's deputy envoy to the North Caucasus federal
district A. Yedelev saidsuch decisions should be bilateral rather than
be made on Mr. Saakashvili's or somebody else's whims and termed
Georgia's step a provocation. Russia's foreign minister S. Lavrov also
stressed in a comment on October 12 that normally civilized partners
resolve such issues on a bilateral basis. It became known the same
day, though, that the Georgian president had signed the corresponding
decree and the visa-free regime for residents of Russia's North
Caucasian republics would formally enter into force on October 13.
While Russia's representatives and the Georgian opposition warn that
the opening of visa-free travel would likely attract terrorist to
Georgia, Tbilisi seems to be totally unreceptive to any arguments.
Citing the Georgian president's speech at the UN General Assembly,
Chairman of Georgia's Parliamentary Committee on Diasporas Nugzar
Tsiklauri remarked recently that Saakashvili credited the EU with a
whole geopolitical revolution that united the European nations and
stated as Georgia's initiative a similar geopolitical revolution in
the Caucasus. Saakashvili said Georgia would prove that the Caucasus
is united.
Indeed, Saakashvili declared at the September session of the UN
General Assembly that there are no such things as the South Caucasus
and the North Caucasus but there is only one Caucasus. Now we are
witnessing practical steps follow the declaration: visa requirements
for residents of Russia's North Caucasian republics are being
abolished, Tbilisi is in the process of launching a Russian-language
TV channel, the Georgian government's site starts featuring web pages
in Abkhazian, and English is about to be adopted as Georgia's second
official language.
English was made a mandatory part of the Georgian school curricula in
2010 while studying Russian became optional. The Georgian government
plans to invite native speakers of English as instructors to every
school in the country and every school student aged 5 - 16 will be
expected to master the language. Shorena Shaverdashvili, editor of
Georgian weekly Liberali, expressed reservations concerning the reform
considering that the language Georgia shares with the neighboring
countries happens to be Russian. She opined that since Georgia is
voluntarily taking the role of a US protectorate and knocking on
NATO's doors these days Georgians are supposed to learn the language
spoken by their would-be commanders. If Georgia's mission is a
geopolitical revolution aimed at merging the territorial formations of
the North and South Caucasus, English is the only potential language
for the alliance.
The forces which regard the whole world as a sphere of their interests
are keenly interested in the Caucasus, which can be used as a foothold
in the onslaught on Russia and Iran as well as opens opportunities to
control the Black Sea region and the lucrative Caspian oil reserves.
Reacting to Moscow's discontent at the opening of visa-free travel to
Georgia for a fraction of Russia's population, Georgian foreign
minister Grigol Vashadze alleged on October 15 that the Kremlin felt
outraged simply because Georgia is a successful country. As for
Georgia's success, the claim sounds dubious, but it is clear what the
future holds for Russia if the geopolitical revolution masterminded by
Saakashvili and his US patrons proves successful: an independence
parade like the one which brought about the collapse of the USSR would
sweep across Russia's Kaliningrad enclave, Tatarstan, Yakutia, and the
Volga region.
Obviously, Saakashvili's regime is charged with boosting separatism in
Russia's North Caucasian republics. This may be an uphill task, but if
Moscow's response remains limited to airing views like `we have no
problems with Georgia, we only have a problem with Saakashvili', there
is a risk that some day we will see the job done.
The pan-Caucasian agenda is not exactly a novelty. It routinely recurs
in the media, and from a broader perspective it can be traced back to
US President Woodrow Wilson's 1918 Fourteen Points which actually
underly the modern globalization program. According to the Sixth
Point, Russia was to be partitioned and reduced to the Central Russian
Upland, while a network of independent states stretching from the
Baltic region to Turkestan were to serve as a buffer between the
country and the rest of the world. The Baltic republics were to
insulate the Black Sea from Russia, the united Caucasus - to shut down
Russia's access to the Black and the Caspian Seas along with Turkey
and Iran, and Turkestan was to morph into a barrier between Russia and
India. It should be realized that the implementation of the plan began
in the 1990ies and is underway.
From: A. Papazian
ZAMLELOVA Svetlana | 21.10.2010 | 17:15
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2010/10/21/saakashvilii-en-route-to-geopolitical-revolution-in-the-caucasus.html
Georgia Russia
Georgian deputy foreign minister N. Kalandadze announced on October 11
that Georgia planned to unilaterally lift the visa requirements for
Russia's Caucasian republics and to allow Russian citizens residing in
Dagestan, Chechnya, North Ossetia, the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, the
Karachay-Cherkess Republic, and the Republic of Adygea to visit
Georgia for up to 90 days without visas. Georgia's explanation behind
the step is that absent formal diplomatic relations between Georgia
and Russia residents of the above regions have to request visas at the
Georgian Interests Section at the Embassy of Switzerland in Moscow,
which may be fairly inconvenient. For example, those who live in
Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, have to go to Moscow to obtain
Georgian entry visas. Georgia's administration and personally
Saakashvili must have been overwhelmed by compassion for the people of
Russia's part of Caucasus who are forced to endure such complexities
to obtain the much-needed Georgian entry visas.
Russian President's deputy envoy to the North Caucasus federal
district A. Yedelev saidsuch decisions should be bilateral rather than
be made on Mr. Saakashvili's or somebody else's whims and termed
Georgia's step a provocation. Russia's foreign minister S. Lavrov also
stressed in a comment on October 12 that normally civilized partners
resolve such issues on a bilateral basis. It became known the same
day, though, that the Georgian president had signed the corresponding
decree and the visa-free regime for residents of Russia's North
Caucasian republics would formally enter into force on October 13.
While Russia's representatives and the Georgian opposition warn that
the opening of visa-free travel would likely attract terrorist to
Georgia, Tbilisi seems to be totally unreceptive to any arguments.
Citing the Georgian president's speech at the UN General Assembly,
Chairman of Georgia's Parliamentary Committee on Diasporas Nugzar
Tsiklauri remarked recently that Saakashvili credited the EU with a
whole geopolitical revolution that united the European nations and
stated as Georgia's initiative a similar geopolitical revolution in
the Caucasus. Saakashvili said Georgia would prove that the Caucasus
is united.
Indeed, Saakashvili declared at the September session of the UN
General Assembly that there are no such things as the South Caucasus
and the North Caucasus but there is only one Caucasus. Now we are
witnessing practical steps follow the declaration: visa requirements
for residents of Russia's North Caucasian republics are being
abolished, Tbilisi is in the process of launching a Russian-language
TV channel, the Georgian government's site starts featuring web pages
in Abkhazian, and English is about to be adopted as Georgia's second
official language.
English was made a mandatory part of the Georgian school curricula in
2010 while studying Russian became optional. The Georgian government
plans to invite native speakers of English as instructors to every
school in the country and every school student aged 5 - 16 will be
expected to master the language. Shorena Shaverdashvili, editor of
Georgian weekly Liberali, expressed reservations concerning the reform
considering that the language Georgia shares with the neighboring
countries happens to be Russian. She opined that since Georgia is
voluntarily taking the role of a US protectorate and knocking on
NATO's doors these days Georgians are supposed to learn the language
spoken by their would-be commanders. If Georgia's mission is a
geopolitical revolution aimed at merging the territorial formations of
the North and South Caucasus, English is the only potential language
for the alliance.
The forces which regard the whole world as a sphere of their interests
are keenly interested in the Caucasus, which can be used as a foothold
in the onslaught on Russia and Iran as well as opens opportunities to
control the Black Sea region and the lucrative Caspian oil reserves.
Reacting to Moscow's discontent at the opening of visa-free travel to
Georgia for a fraction of Russia's population, Georgian foreign
minister Grigol Vashadze alleged on October 15 that the Kremlin felt
outraged simply because Georgia is a successful country. As for
Georgia's success, the claim sounds dubious, but it is clear what the
future holds for Russia if the geopolitical revolution masterminded by
Saakashvili and his US patrons proves successful: an independence
parade like the one which brought about the collapse of the USSR would
sweep across Russia's Kaliningrad enclave, Tatarstan, Yakutia, and the
Volga region.
Obviously, Saakashvili's regime is charged with boosting separatism in
Russia's North Caucasian republics. This may be an uphill task, but if
Moscow's response remains limited to airing views like `we have no
problems with Georgia, we only have a problem with Saakashvili', there
is a risk that some day we will see the job done.
The pan-Caucasian agenda is not exactly a novelty. It routinely recurs
in the media, and from a broader perspective it can be traced back to
US President Woodrow Wilson's 1918 Fourteen Points which actually
underly the modern globalization program. According to the Sixth
Point, Russia was to be partitioned and reduced to the Central Russian
Upland, while a network of independent states stretching from the
Baltic region to Turkestan were to serve as a buffer between the
country and the rest of the world. The Baltic republics were to
insulate the Black Sea from Russia, the united Caucasus - to shut down
Russia's access to the Black and the Caspian Seas along with Turkey
and Iran, and Turkestan was to morph into a barrier between Russia and
India. It should be realized that the implementation of the plan began
in the 1990ies and is underway.
From: A. Papazian