“The US welcomes the publication by Georgia of a package of proposals aimed at strengthening ties on both sides of the administrative boundary line. These measures help meet the needs of the most vulnerable populations on both sides of the contact line and provide greater opportunities for mobility, improved living standards and access to education. We welcome Georgia’s commitment to dialogue and a peaceful settlement of the conflict, ” the US Embassy said on April 4, 2018.
Here the American diplomats had in mind the government program “Step to a Better Future”, which Georgia launched 2 years ago. Politicians of the European Union and individual countries of the Commonwealth dedicated tirades, demonstrating ostentatious support for Tbilisi. The US Embassy could not stand aside. Now, even the page with the above text has been removed on the official website of the diplomatic mission.
A step towards a better future is a program to support Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The implication was that Step would have three goals:
– liberalization of trade relations with the republics;
– creation of additional opportunities for education;
– visa-free travel to the EU countries.
It is important to note here that Step was not new. Back in the days of Mikheil Saakashvili, or rather after the defeat in the 2008 conflict, there was talk in Tbilisi about the need to return the republics by introducing humanitarian and economic programs. The “step” appeared only ten years later. Of course, one would assume that the time was well spent, only it is not.
“This step is aimed at restoring confidence and revitalizing the process of reconciliation,” Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said in April 2018. More than two years have passed since then, and we can safely say that Tbilisi somehow did not work out with the “restoration of trust”.
First of all, this is due to what exactly the Georgian program is. Consider the trade issue. According to the idea, Abkhazia and South Ossetia were to be able to bring their goods to the European market through Georgia. Definitely a tempting offer. But it fades if you look at the data on the turnover of Georgia itself. The countries of the European Union are not in the first place in statistics. In 2019, the top three are occupied by Turkey ($ 1.8 billion / 14.1% of the total trade), Russia ($ 1.5 billion / 11.5%) and China ($ 1.1 billion / 8.5%). For comparison, trade with Germany amounted to only $ 497.4 million. Speaking specifically about exports, Azerbaijan is in the first place. Georgia sold $ 499 million worth of products there last year, Russia in second place ($ 497 million), Armenia ($ 413 million) in third.
Thus, it turns out that the European Union is not at all the main sales market for Georgian products. It must be assumed that the authors of the “Step to a Better Future” program really assessed the chances of Abkhazian or South Ossetian goods to enter the EU market. Simply put, Tbilisi lied about European perspectives. And not only in terms of trade.
The Georgian authorities also promised visa-free travel to the EU countries in conditions when even Georgian citizens are experiencing problems with this. Yes, since 2017, Georgians have been able to travel to the Schengen zone without visas, but the nuances were not long in coming. Already in 2019, border guards from EU countries appeared at the Kutaisi airport, who literally sorted citizens, denying some of the right to board the plane.
Once, even Georgian employees of an American marketing firm were not allowed on the plane, moreover with tickets that the company had bought so that employees could attend a corporate event in Milan. Due to the fact that the flight was heading to Rome, border guards began to demand train tickets to Milan, although a specially hired car had to pick up the people. Ultimately, the plane flew away, and the Georgians stayed.
One would think that the only working mechanism was saved for last, but no. Education initiatives are also very bad.
“The subject of special interest of young people living in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region / South Ossetia is getting a proper education that meets international standards. Thus, the initiative of the Government of Georgia “A Step to a Better Future” aimed at developing educational opportunities for residents of these regions directly responds to existing interests and needs,” the press service of the Georgian Minister for Reconciliation says bravely.
But bad luck, the Georgian language is little studied in the schools of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which means that graduates, in principle, will not be able to enter and study normally at Georgian universities. On the other hand, they may well enter Russian and foreign universities if they have Russian citizenship.
“From the very beginning of the presentation of this project, it was absolutely clear to us that this stillborn undertaking had no chance of success. And this is understandable – no one in South Ossetia will cooperate with Tbilisi, and, moreover, will not covet the Western pennies that Georgian grant-eaters shamelessly offered through various channels, ” South Ossetian Foreign Minister Dmitry Medoev commented on the situation.
And in this commentary lies the answer to the main question: why was an absolutely non-working state pseudo-humanitarian program needed at all? During its existence, there were different answers to the question, including the preparation of a site for the seizure of the republics or the creation of groups of pro-Georgian influence there. In fact, everything is much more prosaic and revolves around money. For example, “Step” meant the allocation of grants from the Georgian budget for the education of students who came from across the demarcation line. A small manipulation of dead souls, and a certain amount is already in the official’s pocket. But there are also Western countries that will gladly provide grants for “good deeds”. If we were talking about some kind of strategic multi-move, over the years of the program’s existence, there would have been at least some visible result, but it was stillborn from the very beginning, which did not prevent Georgia’s “partners” from praising it.
Evgeniy Gaman, specially for News Front