Rival Draft Resolutions on Russia’s ‘Aggressive’ Moves Debated in Parliament

Parliament adopted on July 24 a GD-proposed resolution condemning Russia’s recent “provocative” and “aggressive” action, involving putting new demarcation signposts along the administrative boundary line with the breakaway South Ossetia in the close vicinity of Georgia’s major east-west highway and in the area where mile-long section of the BP-operated Baku-Supsa oil pipeline runs.

In a separate vote also on July 24, Georgian Dream (GD) parliamentary majority group rejected the draft resolution on the same issue, which was proposed by lawmakers from United National Movement (UNM) opposition party.

UNM tabled draft of its resolution on July 15, which was doomed for being voted down by the GD because it included some of the provision, which had already been rejected by the parliamentary majority group in at least two previous occasions because they were in sharp contrast to government’s policies towards Russia.

One such provision of the UNM’s draft was calling on the government to scrap so called ‘Abashidze-Karasin format’ of talks with Moscow – an informal direct dialogue between the two countries, carried out by Georgian PM’s special envoy for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin.

Such calls were also included in UNM’s draft of parliament’s resolutions, which were also voted down in October and November, 2014.

Several days after the UNM tabled its draft of resolution, GD parliamentary majority group unveiled an alternative draft, which was eventually adopted by the legislative body on July 24.

Heated debates on rival drafts at a parliamentary session on July 24 were not much different from those held previously on the same topic in the legislative body with opposition UNM accusing GD of “capitulant” policies towards Russia and the GD blaming UNM for pursuing “reckless” policies while being in power and yielding to Russia’s provocations resulting into August, 2008 war.

GD MP Gubaz Sanikidze of the National Forum party said that the current government has to cope with “extremely difficult legacy” left by the UNM because of its “irrevocable mistakes” made while in government.
 
“I know why you speak only about the past – because you have no plan, no vision whatsoever not only about this issue, but on any other important issue,” UNM MP Giorgi Kandelaki told GD lawmakers.

“Georgia’s problem is that the government ceased confronting [Russia] on the international stage and… as a result the issue of Georgia’s occupied territories is now actually removed from the international agenda… Karasin-Abashidze format has created false impression of normalization [of relations with Russia], he said.

UNM lawmaker Nugzar Tsiklauri told GD MPs that by refusing to support opposition’s draft resolution and to scrap Abashidze-Karasin format of talks, “you are once again reporting to [Moscow] that you represent their interests here in Georgia.”

UNM MP Giorgi Baramidze said that Abashidze-Karasin format causes “erosion” of the Geneva talks, which were launched after the August, 2008 war with the participation of negotiators from Georgia, Russia and the U.S. and co-chaired by diplomats from the EU, UN and OSCE.

“You are in a train, which heads towards Moscow,” UNM MP Akaki Bobokhidze told GD lawmakers. “But it won’t reach its destination.”

GD MP Nukri Kantaria compared UNM’s draft and its demands to “acting like a man, who is pouring fuel on fire and then telling another to also do the same.”

“We are moving forward cautiously… as we walk a tightrope,” he added.

GD MP Gia Zhorzholiani said that the policy pursued by the government “is the only right policy, which has no alternative.”

“Why UNM is so active on this issue? Because when politicians have no legitimacy anymore and they want to attract voters, they try to stir tensions and portray themselves as patriots,” GD MP Zhorzholiani said. “This is thanks to the Georgian Dream that we now have the peace.”

Lawmakers from the opposition Free Democrats (FD) party, which up until November 2014 was part of the GD ruling coalition, abstained from voting.

FD MP Victor Dolidze was telling GD and UNM lawmakers before the vote that spirit of both of the drafts, except of some provisions, was actually the same and calling on the colleagues to try to bridge differences in order to have a unanimous vote on this important issue for the country.

He said that FD is not in favor of scrapping Abashidze-Karasin format “immediately.” MP Dolidze, however, also said that the format may require revision. Previously other representatives from the FD party, in particular ex-foreign minister Maia Panjikidze, were saying that this format “exhausted itself.”

GD-proposed resolution on “Further Provocative Actions of Russian Occupying Forces Against Georgia”, which was adopted by the Parliament, “condemns Russian Federation’s aggressive action, which represents continuation of encroachment on Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, de facto annexation of the occupied region, gross infringement of property and freedom of movement rights and policy of ethnic cleansing.”

The resolution describes placement of new ‘border’ signposts along breakaway South Ossetian administrative boundary as “marking of yet another section of the line dividing occupied Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia from rest of Georgia.” UNM-proposed draft was describing it as “further shift of the occupation line deeper into the Georgian-controlled territory.”

Adopted resolution says that “this provocative action by the Russian Federation contravenes Georgia’s efforts directed towards regional and European security and represents an attempt to derail Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration.”

It calls on the Georgian government to “continue intensively” efforts for Georgia’s “position on the existing situation to be shared by the international organizations” including in “frames of the UN Security Council.”

UNM-proposed draft was calling on the government to “demand UN Security Council session.” It was also calling for efforts to make occupation of Georgian territories part of those reasons for which now there are Western sanctions on Russia because of Ukraine.

The adopted text says that the Georgian authorities have opted for “the path of negotiations” to normalize relations with Russia, but the latter failed to reciprocate with similar “responsible” approach.

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