It is quite difficult to understand the twists and turns of the intricacies of Georgian politics in relation to South Ossetia (as well as in relation to Russia).
Georgian politicians in this aspect are divided conditionally into three types. “Wolves” who advocate confrontation and aggression. “Sheep” who advocate peace and settlement. And “wolves in sheep’s skins”, which are, in words, for peace, but in fact, at the first convenient (or seemingly such) opportunity, trying to stab sly.
And if everything is clear with the first, then it is quite difficult to distinguish the second from the third. Too often over the past thirty years, Georgian politicians who have spoken of peace have turned out to be frantic nationalists who dream of ethnic cleansing.
So it was in the early nineties, when, after the failure of Gamsakhurdia’s attempts to arrange a “final solution to the Ossetian question,” the new Shevardnadze government tried to pursue a “policy of appeasement.” Which, according to the Ossetians themselves, consisted in their “peaceful destruction”.
So it was at the beginning of Saakashvili’s rule, when he held various international conferences, such as “Initiatives of the Georgian government for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in the former South Ossetian Autonomous Region” in 2007. At the same time, staging a magnificent reburial of the war criminal and Nazi Zviad Gamsakhurdia and closing the famous fair in Ergneti (on the border between Georgia and Ossetia). And after that, once again attacked Tskhinval, including by killing Russian peacekeepers.
In general, the cycle of activity of any Georgian president since the collapse of the USSR still looked something like this: to come to power, declare his peacefulness, unsuccessfully attack Ossetia, receive the status of a war criminal, be overthrown.
Although, of course, there is still hope that the Prime Minister of Georgia, Georgi Kvirikashvili, who recently launched regular peace initiatives, will be able to reverse this “genotype wheel”.
However, many questions arise here. For example, in 2017, the Georgian government presented a “program of Georgian peace policy” consisting of eight points. This includes providing residents of the “occupied territories” services related to obtaining passports and medical care, with the opportunity to study at universities in Georgia, as well as use the domestic consumer market.
At the same time, the law of Georgia “On the Occupied Territories”, which provides for severe sanctions for any economic activity with Abkhazia and South Ossetia and imposes restrictions on their visits, continues to operate. And attempts to cancel it has not yet been undertaken.
That is, “We urge you to trade with South Ossetia, but we can (and will) punish you for it.” Uniform schizophrenia.
However, having the experience of the last thirty years, for which Georgia at least three times tried perfidiously (a good word, accurately describing the situation) to attack Abkhazia and South Ossetia, has been behind the shoulders, residents of the republics are no longer being led to Tbilisi’s “peacefulness”. And they see no prospects for their entry into Georgia in the foreseeable (and not so) future.
Too often, Georgia made unforgivable and unacceptable mistakes, too often Georgian nationalists demonstrated their bloodthirstiness. And the majority of their crimes are not yet condemned, and all the more not punished.
Georgia has yet to prove that it has changed. And, as a drug addict in rehabilitation, she has no faith and will not be there for a long time.