Georgia considers withdrawing from CIS
ISN SECURITY WATCH (Wednesday, 3 May 2006: 10.27 CET) – The Georgian government is considering withdrawing from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as tensions heighten between Georgia and Russia.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said on Tuesday that his government would review whether the country was benefiting from being a member of the CIS, a bloc of former Soviet Republics.
Relations between Georgia and Russia have continued to sour over the years, the latest row being over Russia's decision to ban imports of Georgian fruits, vegetables, and alcohol due to alleged health concerns, which has prompted Tbilisi to threaten to ban Russian beer imports.
Saakashvili said the import ban was an attempt "to cause famine and social problems in Georgia that could hamper the reestablishment of [the country's] territorial integrity".
Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Georgian parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze as telling parliament two weeks ago: "What sense is there in Georgia's membership of the CIS if Russia has introduced the visa regime with Georgia alone and has banned imports of Georgian wines and agricultural produce?"
According to Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, Tbilisi will make its decision whether to withdraw its membership in the CIS in two months.
"I instructed the government to study the issue, and give me in a month or two an economic assessment of the practicability of Georgia's being a member of the CIS," the news agency quoted Saakashvili as saying.
The Georgian president maintained that Tbilisi was still seeking active dialogue with Moscow.
"We want to have neighborly relations with a Russia that would not close the only Georgian church in Moscow simply because it holds services in Georgian," he said, according to RIA Novosti.
Tensions between the two countries originally began to increase over Russia's refusal to withdraw its remaining troops stationed at two Soviet-era bases in Georgia.
However, Georgian Economics Minister Kakha Bendukidze cautioned the government on Tuesday about withdrawing from the CIS, saying the issue was a "concrete question" that "involved privileges for our citizens and our goods", RIA Novosti reported.
Civil Georgia online news agency quoted Saakashvili as saying on Tuesday: "In 1991, Georgia's independence was recognized by many countries and Georgia refused to become a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States like the Baltic States. Then, in 1993, during the Abkhaz tragedy, kneeled and humiliated, Georgia was forced to join the CIS. I think that, despite it was a humiliating act, we found many benefits from CIS membership. We could maintain ties with many former Soviet states… we could establish trade links, we could maintain free movement between [former Soviet states]… And we had for a long time partnership with the Russian Federation; our products were sold in Russia and recently demand [on Georgian products] has increased in Russia.”
“But now we have been cut off from these links. So we should now sit down and count whether it is still worthy or not being in the CIS,” he added.
(By ISN Security Watch staff, RIA-Novosit, Interfax, Civil Georgia)
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said on Tuesday that his government would review whether the country was benefiting from being a member of the CIS, a bloc of former Soviet Republics.
Relations between Georgia and Russia have continued to sour over the years, the latest row being over Russia's decision to ban imports of Georgian fruits, vegetables, and alcohol due to alleged health concerns, which has prompted Tbilisi to threaten to ban Russian beer imports.
Saakashvili said the import ban was an attempt "to cause famine and social problems in Georgia that could hamper the reestablishment of [the country's] territorial integrity".
Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Georgian parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze as telling parliament two weeks ago: "What sense is there in Georgia's membership of the CIS if Russia has introduced the visa regime with Georgia alone and has banned imports of Georgian wines and agricultural produce?"
According to Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, Tbilisi will make its decision whether to withdraw its membership in the CIS in two months.
"I instructed the government to study the issue, and give me in a month or two an economic assessment of the practicability of Georgia's being a member of the CIS," the news agency quoted Saakashvili as saying.
The Georgian president maintained that Tbilisi was still seeking active dialogue with Moscow.
"We want to have neighborly relations with a Russia that would not close the only Georgian church in Moscow simply because it holds services in Georgian," he said, according to RIA Novosti.
Tensions between the two countries originally began to increase over Russia's refusal to withdraw its remaining troops stationed at two Soviet-era bases in Georgia.
However, Georgian Economics Minister Kakha Bendukidze cautioned the government on Tuesday about withdrawing from the CIS, saying the issue was a "concrete question" that "involved privileges for our citizens and our goods", RIA Novosti reported.
Civil Georgia online news agency quoted Saakashvili as saying on Tuesday: "In 1991, Georgia's independence was recognized by many countries and Georgia refused to become a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States like the Baltic States. Then, in 1993, during the Abkhaz tragedy, kneeled and humiliated, Georgia was forced to join the CIS. I think that, despite it was a humiliating act, we found many benefits from CIS membership. We could maintain ties with many former Soviet states… we could establish trade links, we could maintain free movement between [former Soviet states]… And we had for a long time partnership with the Russian Federation; our products were sold in Russia and recently demand [on Georgian products] has increased in Russia.”
“But now we have been cut off from these links. So we should now sit down and count whether it is still worthy or not being in the CIS,” he added.
(By ISN Security Watch staff, RIA-Novosit, Interfax, Civil Georgia)
posted by Marko at 5/03/2006 07:54:00 AM
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