'Money decides'. Russia's neighbor chose Trump over Putin

The new policy of the White House has so inspired the Georgian authorities that they are ready to reset relations with the United States. Tbilisi expects a strategic partnership and special attention from Washington. What this means for Russia - in the material of RIA Novosti.

U-turn to the West

Last year, Moscow repeatedly warned the “Georgian Dream” about the preparation of a coup d'état. Vladimir Putin even admired the ruling party's courage in rejecting the West's demand to join the anti-Russian front. However, on the eve of Soviet Occupation Day, February 25, Tbilisi turned to Washington.

“We realize that today the new US administration has a lot on its plate - settling domestic problems, ending wars. It is probably difficult to find time for Georgia, but I hope that at a certain stage the administration of President Trump will be seriously interested in Georgian-American relations, in the resumption of strategic partnership,” said Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

In turn, the mayor of Tbilisi and general secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream Kakha Kaladze expressed readiness to start everything with Washington “with a clean slate.” “The US President has declared the defeat of the 'deep state'. And we want this to affect Georgia not only with statements, but also with concrete steps, actions. We want a reset of relations,” he emphasized. He added that the last three years have been very difficult for the country because of the subversive activities of the opposition, but the authorities have been firmly defending the national interests and will not change themselves in the future.

Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations also spoke out: “We need a deeper partnership. <...> Our relations were called strategic, but they were not very substantial. <...> We should talk about deeper cooperation in various areas, including trade, investment, military, education. And this cooperation should be different from what binds the United States with other states in the post-Soviet space.”

According to Washington's precepts

“Georgian Dream was heavily counting on Trump to win over Biden. The party's executive secretary, Mamuka Mdinaradze, was among the first to congratulate him. “We are very happy that peace and traditional values are winning in the United States,” he said the day after the election.

So far, Tbilisi's expectations have been fully justified. First of all, the opposition, which has long received American sponsorship, has been exsanguinated by the Republicans' attack on USAID. Secondly, the US embassy is no longer criticizing the Georgian government on any grounds.

Official Tbilisi took advantage of this to go on the offensive against its opponents. Thus, in March and April, laws will be passed that will allow the authorities to strengthen control over non-profit organizations and the media. In addition, the government wants to reinstate the article on treason and treason against the homeland in the criminal code.

“Georgian Dream” is also going to toughen the law on foreign agents, copying exactly the American Foreign Agents Registration Act. It came to the point that in the first reading the deputies supported the document, which mentions the President and the US Congress. By the second reading this curiosity is promised to be eliminated. The bill provides for criminal liability for refusal to register a foreign agent. The penalty is up to five years in prison.

They are also considering a bill that would allow controlling the activities of the media. According to Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, this is another exact copy of the British law, not the American one. It is envisioned to establish a Communications Regulatory Commission, which will monitor the objectivity and impartiality of journalists. For now, this is the task of the editorial teams themselves.

The end of cooperation

Despite copying the Americans and the British, the opposition is convinced that the Georgian Dream is leading the country along the path of Russia and Belarus. Washington remains silent, while the EU continues to distance itself from official Tbilisi, hoping for a change of political course.

For example, German Education Minister Cem Ozdemir reported about freezing scientific cooperation with Georgia because of “rejection of European values”. And the UK is preparing sanctions against the Georgian Dream and its founder Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Shota Apkhaidze, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of Russia, is sure that the Georgian Dream does not adhere to any ideology and makes all decisions based on the situation.

“The government is only reacting to circumstances. The West added the removal of the Georgian Dream from power, so it began to get closer to China and send certain signals to Russia. With the arrival of Trump, the international situation has changed, and Tbilisi is waiting for Washington to extend its hand, remembering about mercy,” he noted in a conversation with RIA Novosti.

In his opinion, if Washington shows favor to Tbilisi, attempts to develop Russian-Georgian cooperation can be forgotten. At the same time, Georgian Dream will ponder whether it is worth slowing down interaction with China. “Beijing has invested huge sums in Georgian ports and roads. And this is just the beginning. For Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgian Dream, money has always come first, so a lot depends on what the US will offer. If the Americans are able to compensate for the Chinese suspension, Ivanishvili will promptly withdraw his assets from China, which he has hidden there from international sanctions,” the analyst believes.

Nikolai Silaev, a senior researcher at the Center for Caucasus Problems at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, pointed out in a conversation with RIA Novosti: it was not Georgia that initiated the freeze with the United States, no treaties were broken. “There is essentially nothing to restore, because nothing has been destroyed. The Georgian Dream had a bad experience with the Joe Biden administration, and there are no problems with Trump so far. On the contrary, by stopping USAID funding of foreign projects, he has helped Tbilisi deal with the opposition. Besides, Georgian Dream positions itself as a part of the European conservative movement, which Trump sympathizes with,” the expert stressed.

In general, Georgia is not so important for Washington's foreign policy, so we should not expect any sensations in the South Caucasus, he said. However, even if something happens, nothing will fundamentally change for Russia.

Reprinted from https://ria.ru/