Georgia: Country profile

[Ayinde]

BBC

 
Situated at the strategically important crossroads where Europe meets Asia, Georgia has a unique and ancient cultural heritage, famous traditions of hospitality and cuisine and an alphabet which is entirely its own. It also has a history of winemaking said to date back thousands of years.

Over the centuries, Georgia has been the object of rivalry between Persia, Turkey and Russia, and was eventually annexed by Russia in the 19th century. In recent years Moscow's key rival has been Washington.

The USA has a major interest in security and stability in the country, having invested heavily in an oil pipeline which will carry oil from Azerbaijan via Georgia to Turkey. The Georgian armed forces have been receiving US training and support. Increasing US economic and political influence in the country is being watched closely by the Kremlin.

Georgia enjoyed an interlude of independence after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia but was invaded by the Soviet Red Army in 1921 and incorporated into the Soviet Union a year later.

Following the collapse of Communism in the USSR in 1991, Georgians voted overwhelmingly for the restoration of independence and elected nationalist leader Zviad Gamsakhurdia as president. However, Gamsakhurdia was soon overthrown by opposition militias which in 1992 installed former Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze as the country's new leader.

Once a relatively affluent part of the Soviet Union, the loss of cheap Soviet energy and the rupturing of trading ties caused the economy to nose-dive. Despite a recent improvement, the republic remains among the poorest countries of the former USSR and is still dependent on Russia for its energy supply.

Since independence, the people of Georgia have endured periods of civil war and unrest as well as violence related to the independence aspirations of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Although diplomatic efforts have brought relative stability in recent years, tensions over both regions persist.

Georgia shares a border with Russia's troubled Chechen Republic and there have been angry exchanges between the two countries over Russian allegations that Chechen rebel fighters are allowed to enjoy a safe haven high in the remote Georgian Caucasus mountains.

Despite repeated official promises to stamp out crime and corruption, the country continues to be ravaged by both. Recent years have seen institutional, legal and economic reforms, but many of the achievements have been undermined by corrupt practices.

GEORGIA FACTS
Population: 5 million  
Capital: Tbilisi  
Major languages: Georgian, Russian  
Major religion: Christianity  
Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 76 years (women)  
Monetary unit: 1 lari = 100 tetri  
Main exports: Scrap metal, wine, fruit  
Average annual income: US $590  
Internet domain: .ge  
International dialling code: +995  

Outgoing President: Eduard Shevardnadze

One of the world's longest-standing political survivors, Mr Shevardnadze resigned on 23 November 2003 after facing his sternest challenge in the political chaos that followed parliamentary elections earlier in the month.

Official results gave the government a victory. But the elections were condemned by international observers who said they had witnessed "spectacular" irregularities.

Mass demonstrations followed, at which protesters called on Mr Shevardnadze to resign. Opposition supporters seized the chamber during the first session of the new parliament.

Mr Shevardnadze joined the Communist Party in 1946 and rose through the party ranks to become Georgia's Communist leader in 1972.

As Soviet foreign minister between 1985 and 1990 when the Cold War began to thaw, he oversaw a transformation in Soviet foreign policy. That has not been forgotten in international diplomatic circles.

When Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgia's first post-independence leader, was deposed in 1992, Mr Shevardnadze was first installed and then elected as leader of independent Georgia. He has been the dominating figure in Georgian political life ever since. Mr Shevardnadze was elected president in 1995 and re-elected in 2000.

Over the years, he made many pledges to root out the corruption which is widely seen as the country's most crippling problem. However, it remains endemic.

Born in 1928, Mr Shevardnadze has faced two apparent attempts on his life, one in 1995 and the other in 1998.

Chair of parliament: Nino Burjanadze
Minister of state: Avtandil Jorbenadze
Foreign minister: Irakli Menagharishvili

Much of the Georgian media are considered to be free, and journalists regularly criticise officials and their conduct.

In 2003 the media rights organisation Reporters Without Borders said journalists investigating corruption continued to be harrassed, and sometimes physically attacked. The outspoken private TV station Rustavi-2 has regularly aroused the ire of police and officials.

The authorities finance some publications and operate the national state TV and radio networks. There are some 200 privately-owned newspapers.

The press
Sakartvelos Respublika - state-owned
Alia - private
Rezonansi - private
Georgian Times - English-language
Svobodnaya Gruzia - Russian-language
Archive of Georgian newspapers

Television
Georgian State TV
Rustavi-2 - private
Imedi TV - private
Ajara TV - state-run channel in autonomous republic of Ajaria

Radio
Georgian State Radio
Fortuna - private, Tbilisi FM station
Radio 105 - private, Tbilisi FM station

News agencies
Sakinform - state-run
Prime-News - private
Iprinda - private
Kavkasia-Press - private

[iyah360]

Wonder if the attacks in Turkey had anything to do with this?

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/11/24/georgia.us.ap/index.html


U.S. backs new Georgia government
Monday, November 24, 2003 Posted: 2:07 AM EST (0707 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States offered its support to the interim leadership of Georgia after a tumultuous weekend, during which the president of the former Soviet republic resigned as his opposition threatened to storm his residence.

Secretary of State Colin Powell on Sunday called opposition figure Nino Burdzhanadze, who will lead an interim government until new elections can be held, "to offer our support and to encourage her and her colleagues to proceed in a manner consistent with Georgia's Constitution," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

Boucher praised outgoing Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze. "We know that President Shevardnadze's decision was difficult, but that he made his decision in the best interests of the people of Georgia," Boucher said. "President Shevardnadze has been a towering figure in Georgian history and a close friend of the United States."

Powell spoke to Shevardnadze on Sunday, Boucher said, "and thanked him for his role in bringing this crisis to a peaceful resolution."

The Bush administration had been highly critical of Shevardnadze's government in the three weeks since supporters of the president were declared winners of parliamentary elections.

The administration said Thursday the official results of the election "do not accurately reflect the will of the Georgian people" and said the polling was marred by "massive vote fraud."

On Sunday, Boucher said: "The people of Georgia have heard the call of (opposition leader) Mikhail Saakashvili and his colleagues in the opposition to move to a new stage in Georgian politics.

"We look forward to working with Interim President Burdzhanadze in her effort to maintain the integrity of Georgia's democracy as she strives to ensure that this change in government follows the constitution," said Boucher.

"The United States and the international community stand ready to support the new government in holding free and fair parliamentary elections in the future," he added.

[Ayinde]

Extracted from:
Georgia and the "War on Terrorism"

by Gary Leupp, May 29, 2002

But, again: it's all about oil. The Los Angeles Times reported March 19: "[Georgian officials] see the U.S. program as designed to avert possible future threats, to prop up the weak and corrupt Georgian state in a region of U.S. oil interests and to strengthen America's foothold in the Caucasus." Kakha Katcitadze, a senior advisor to the Georgian government, stresses the oil pipeline issue. He told The Observer in mid--May that the situation in the gorge did not, in fact, create "vital dangers for Georgia. There are some problems in Pankisi, but I think it is mostly a social issue. I am not so worried about it. Anti--terrorism is not the only reason for the relationship between the United States and Georgia. Georgia is also the shortest route between the [oil reserves] of the Caspian Sea and Turkey." The Observer (May 12), also citing Katcitadze, matter-of-factly noted this most fundamental element: "American training helps protect the pipeline -- and its steady supply of oil to Western cars. BP recently sent a risk analyst to the area to explore opportunities for expansion. 'The pipelines will of course benefit from the military presence,' said a BP spokeswoman. 'It is in British interests that the pipeline works. BP is a major sponsor,' Katcitadze said. 'The British military has been giving the Georgian army English language courses, for years, he added.'"

"Train and Equip" is ostensibly designed to enhance Georgia's security from "terrorism." The less advertised but more crucial goal is to produce the optimal environment for Anglo--American corporate interests, particular those of the oil companies. Key to both is the cozy relationship between Washington and Eduard Shevardnadze. That connection is unlikely to improve the lot of Georgia's people; Abkhazians and other ethnic minorities have particular reason to worry. "That Georgia brings in military units from one or another country," Abkhazian leader Anri Dzhergenia told a reporter, "that is its own business. But when this is done to solve our dispute, then we see this very negatively" (Reuters, March 19). The Chechens of Duisi interviewed by U.S. reporters are described as "unfriendly;" suspicious, like the Abkhazians, that U.S. forces will be used against them (Time, April 1).

In conclusion, "Train and Equip," or the Georgia chapter in the "war on terrorism," seems likely to augment the power of a corrupt dictator; prepare his forces to launch campaigns not only in the Pankisi Gorge but in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and elsewhere; enhance Georgia's ties with NATO and pave the way for a long--term U.S. military presence; strengthen the hands of those promoting the Baku--Ceyhan pipeline; irritate the Russian legislature and military, if not President Putin; and complicate the security situation in a highly unstable region. Even if, in the near future, it results in the establishment of firm state authority in Pankisi, and the apprehension or annihilation of a few Arabs or Chechens with some sort of link to al--Qaeda, it is unlikely to reduce the level of terror in the world, which for the most part emanates from other, more familiar, venues.

The article is worth reading:
http://www.trinicenter.com/oops/georgia.html

[Ayinde]

AFP

Two big powers move quickly to protect their interests amid the political crisis

TBILISI - Opposing political groups were fighting for power in Georgia yesterday but behind the scenes two much bigger forces - the United States and Russia - are also slugging it out for influence in this tiny but strategic state in the Caucasus Mountains.

Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov rushed to the former Soviet republic of fewer than five million people overnight yesterday and met opposition leaders and embattled President Eduard Shevardnadze to press his country's interest.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to Mr Shevardnadze by phone and was also reportedly considering a trip to Tbilisi.

Both Moscow and Washington have a major stake in the outcome of the drama being played out in Tbilisi, where Mr Shevardnadze is hanging onto power by his fingertips after the opposition stormed Parliament on Saturday and declared Ms Nino Burdzhanadze, one of its leaders, acting head of state.

Yesterday, Georgia's Defence Minister David Tevzadze said that the military would not use force to solve the nation's political crisis and pledged his allegiance to Mr Shevardnadze.

Thousands of protesters, meanwhile, maintained their vigil outside the parliament building overnight after opposition leaders had appealed to them to defend their gains.

Opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili, who led the march into Parliament, said he and other opposition leaders had given Mr Ivanov their demands and the Russian Foreign Minister promised to convey them to Mr Shevardnadze.

He also said Mr Ivanov had pledged that the Russian military stationed in Georgia would not intervene.

The reason little Georgia is getting such high-level attention is its location, wedged between Russia and Turkey.

'Georgia is strategically important because that is where Nato, in the shape of Turkey, meets Russia,' said Ms Zeyno Baran, director for International Security and Energy at the Nixon Centre in Washington and a specialist on Georgian affairs.

Another factor is oil. Georgia has none itself but it is on a transit route for the export of crude from the nearby Caspian Sea, where Western oil companies are hungrily developing new fields.

Control the export route for the oil, say analysts, and you control the oil itself.

Moscow has powerful levers of influence in Georgia. It has two army bases in the south and west of the country. It also provides most of Georgia's energy needs through a gas pipeline, and it is in de facto control of two chunks of the country, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where Moscow-backed separatists have seceded from Tbilisi.

Washington, too, has its influence. It is Georgia's biggest bilateral aid donor, propping up a government that is nearly bankrupt. It provides military aid.

US Marine Corps instructors are working with the Georgian army and Washington has given Tbilisi six Huey helicopters.

For many years, the US edged out Russia as Georgia's chief foreign influence. Mr Shevardnadze - a former reforming Soviet foreign minister with hero status in the West - has squabbled with Moscow and cosied up to Washington.

But, in the past year, that has changed as Mr Shevardnadze's position weakened.

The President has drifted closer to Moscow and entered into an alliance with Mr Aslan Abashidze, the powerful leader of Georgia's Adjara region who is desperate to see Georgia firmly in Russia's orbit. -- AFP

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/world/story/0,4386,221696,00.html

[iyah360]

Russia seems to be taking some pro-active steps lately which is probably really angering the private interests who run the show. They arrested Russia's "richest" man who had a major stake in keeping Russian oil interests in a few private hands.

It is interesting to see who the Richest in Russia are, they all share a common thread:

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/10/27/russia.richlist/

[iyah360]

http://www.softcom.net/webnews/wed/ay/Qrussia-us-soros.RPEA_DNB.html

MOSCOW, Nov 11 (AFP) - Fifteen years since it started work in Russia, US billionaire financier George Soros's foundation has been "paralysed" after camouflage-clad men seized its Moscow offices and confiscated its computer records and archives.

The head of Soros's Open Society Institute in Russia told journalists Tuesday that the raid, ordered by the building's owner ostensibly because of a long-standing dispute over rent, appeared to have political motives.

The action by some 50 paramilitary men around midnight Thursday came just days after Soros publicly criticized the jailing of Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky as "persecution" that would force business to submit to the state.

"This means that the work of the Soros Foundation is paralysed. We can't work without our financial framework," said Yekaterina Geniyeva, adding that the foundation had lost all information on its 1,000 grant recipients.

"I really hope that there is no connection between the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and what happened with our building and the activities of the Soros Foundation," she added.

"But I cannot rule this out completely. There are too many coincidences, the interview of Mr Soros, the arrest of Khodorkovsky, the seizure of the Soros building and the removal of documents which we do not understand why they were needed," Geniyeva said.

Khodorkovsky, former boss of the Yukos oil giant, has been in jail since October 25 on seven charges ranging from fraud and tax evasion to embezzlement.

The billionaire's detention and the four-month-long campaign against Yukos is seen as a Kremlin warning to big business to stay out of politics and a bid to restore state control over the nation's energy resources.

The Soros Foundation is heavily involved in promoting civil society and the development of democratic ideas, chiefly in former Soviet bloc countries.

But Hungarian-born Soros, who has long had difficult relations with Moscow, in June announced that he was sharply curtailing his philanthropic activities in Russia to some 10 million dollars a year after spending oen billion dollars over the past 15 years.

But his foundation's Russian branch had secured other financing, for example an 88-million-dollar grant from international bodies to finance an anti-HIV programme in Russia.

"The Soros Foundation has been stripped bare. There is nothing left but the walls. We will try to resurrect our activities but we cannot be certain when," said Geniyeva.

She said that the intruders had forced the staff to leave, before hauling away documents and computers in five trucks.

Among the seized possessions were dozens of computers due to be donated to female juvenile detention centres and books printed by the Soros Foundation destined for universities and libraries across Russia.

The building's owner, Sector-1, said the foundation had not paid the rent since 2001 and that it had sought unsuccessfully since then to get a court order expelling them.

The foundation insists it has continued to pay the rent and blames Sector-1's director Kantimir Karamzin for breaking the terms of a 10-year lease signed in 1999 which allowed it to buy the property.

Geniyeva revealed that the Open Society Institute and Khodorkovsky's Open Russia foundation -- modelled after the US financier's charitable body -- had been planning to set up a joint foundation working on educational projects.

"Khodorkovsky founded Open Russia as an exact mirror of what the Soros Foundation does in Russia. He is an excellent philantrophist," said Geniyeva.

hm/bb/txw

Russia-US-Soros