Georgian Government Heads for Major Embarrassment

State Minister Goga Khaindrava came under the fire of Interior Minster Irakli Okruashvili.

The Georgian government heads for its first major embarrassment, as spectacular lack of coordination is revealed at a senior level in handling the South Ossetia crisis. A superficial probing into a recent incident of detention of the Russian arms convoy in South Ossetia hints that the State Minister for Conflict Resolution might have forgotten to share the vital information on negotiations, which can lead to the serious internal and international repercussions.

The Georgian interior troops seemed to have netted a major catch in early hours of July 7, when they searched an arms convoy heading from Russia’s North Ossetia to the Russian peacekeeping battalion in South Ossetia. According to the Ministry of Interior Affairs (MIA) the search has revealed some 300 unguided missiles that are commonly used for helicopter gunships.

The same missiles were widely used during the ethnic conflicts in Georgia for launching from the truck-mounted pads as a cheap and effective addition for the artillery. Some of these homemade devices should still be available South Ossetia.

The missiles, which were quickly shipped to the administrative center of Gori, gave Georgia a trump-card: early in June Georgian government has argued that Russia (and/or the government of neighboring North Ossetia) shipped ammunition to South Ossetia – a claim that was flatly denied by the Russian authorities. It seemed that the Russian peacekeepers would have to explain the “peacekeeping” purpose of 300 helicopter missiles.

The tables seem to have turned in a crisis as the commander of the Russian PK forces Svyatoslav Nabdzorov explained that the 300 missiles were intended for the Helicopter Squadron, which was to be set up in South Ossetia according to the June 2 decision of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) – a quadripartite body responsible for the peace talks.

This information has triggered an embarrassing hurricane at the government session in Tbilisi as the Minister of Interior Irakli Okruashvili, who personally participated in seizing the convoy confronted the State Minister for Conflict Resolution Goga Khaindrava for the failure to inform the colleague of the JCC decision related to the helicopter squadron.

The Ministry of State Security launched investigation in the matter, and it is likely that Khaindrava would be interrogated to establish the truth. 

In the meantime, the Russian Defense Ministry has launched a fresh salvo alleging that the Russian servicemen were beaten during detention. Russia would definitely launch a diplomatic and public relations counter-offensive portraying Georgian side as unreliable, destructive partner in South Ossetia. This would seriously damage the efforts of the Georgian authorities to lead the way in finding a political solution to South Ossetia conflict.

The crisis is especially embarrassing for the Georgian government, as it proves that it has inherited the key elements of the previous, Eduard Shevardnadze’s cabinet beset by the failures of internal communication and inconsistency of policy.

The cabinet of Zurab Zhvania has been credited for the coherent, well-planned action in dealing with a crisis in Adjara in April-May this year. Consistency of resolve and open communication when handling the Adjara crisis, portrayed the Georgian authorities as a reliable side, winning the national and international sympathy. These factors have been the key elements that have led to resignation of Adjara’s rebellious leader Aslan Abashidze.

Tbilisi has launched the major “charm offensive” in South Ossetia trying to win the hearts and minds of the Ossetians, portraying the South Ossetia authorities as ‘closed’ clique bent on self-enrichment. In this context Russia’s support or at least non-interference is vital for Tbilisi. Stopping short of questioning the presence of the Russian peace-keepers in South Ossetia, Georgian authorities have accused Gen. Nabdzorov of pro-Ossetian bias and demanded his resignation. Nabdzorov, on his side, has notoriously remarked that “one can never trust those Georgians”, who, he argued are bent on violating every agreement.

If Khaindrava has flopped on this occasion, Nabdzorov’s opinion would be proven right in the ‘helicopter squadron story’. Moreover, Russian MFA and the Ministry of Defense would use the incident as a lever to undermine oft-quoted understanding between Mikheil Saakashvili and his Russian colleague, Vladimir Putin, which, as Saakashvili himself said, is built on mutual confidence and trust, which preclude behind-the-scenes dealings and traps.

Moreover, the government is in breach of public confidence: launching of the Russian helicopter flights on the Georgian territory is not something that the Georgian citizenry would have readily approved of. Inability to control its own air space has been one of the most painful shortfalls of the Georgian government, and the military have repeatedly wove to patch up this hole.

It is promising that the Georgian authorities have moved promptly to investigate the details. Minister Khaindrava should carry the weight of political responsibility if it indeed was he who failed to properly inform the government, and the people. Georgian government has a lot of damage control to do, and a proper parliamentary inquiry in the incident would help to rebuild the confidence of Georgians, and Russians.