Georgia has been conducting an effective diplomacy that has centralized its position in the South Caucasus in recent years. This situation has increased meeting traffic of the Georgian authorities. In particular, Tbilisi’s contacts with Baku and Yerevan draw attention. For this reason, it is necessary to mention this meeting traffic.
Visit of Armenian President Armen Sargsyan to Georgia
President of Armenia Armen Sargsyan went to Tbilisi on April 15, 2021, upon the invitation of President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili. Sarkisyan was welcomed by Georgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani at Shota Rustaveli International Airport.[1] Sarkisyan, who met with Zurabishvili in Tbilisi, emphasized the importance of bilateral relations. Speaking at the press conference held after the meeting, Zurabishvili stated that the effects of the epidemic harmed the states in the Caucasus.
In addition, the President of Georgia said that “the losses caused by the war have costed much greater damage to the people of the region and Armenia”. In addition, the Georgian leader emphasized that Georgia was in favor of peace during and after the war in Nagorno-Karabakh and declared that Georgia could mediate between Yerevan and Baku. Moreover, Zurabishvili argued that the dialogue environment which will be established enables regional development, especially infrastructure projects. Tbilisi has even claimed that the South Caucasus states can establish good relations with the European Union (EU) through these projects. In this sense, according to the President of Georgia, it is important to get support from the EU for projects.[2]
Shortly after Sargsyan’s visit, Garibashvili visited Baku on 5 May 2021 and then Yerevan on 12 May 2021. This reveals that Tbilisi will bring peaceful diplomacy into the forefront in the Nagorno-Karabakh Issue. At this point, the contacts of the Georgian authorities in Azerbaijan should be examined.
Visit of Georgian Officials to Baku
Garibashvili visited Baku with Zalkaliani on 5 May 2021. The fact that he went to Azerbaijan first during this tour reveals the value of Azerbaijan in the eye of Georgia; It has also shown that the areas of cooperation between the two countries will expand. During the aforementioned visit, Garibashvili met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ali Asadov and discussed the main issues of bilateral relations. In this context, ways for expanding the cooperation between Georgia and Azerbaijan were sought and it was agreed on the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor Project in terms of regional development. For this reason, Aliyev stated that “Azerbaijan will continue to be the most important economic partner of Georgia”. Garibashvili, on the other hand, underlined that the “perfect relationship” between the parties dates back to centuries.[3]
Another issue that was focused during the visit was the David Garece Monastery. As is known, a dispute arose on the border between Azerbaijan and Georgia in 2019 regarding the restriction of access to churches and monasteries. This problem has been exacerbated by the protests in Georgia. Therewith, Azerbaijan announced that the border was closed for a short time in order to ensure security and control during the Formula-1 races. Following the statement from Baku, Tbilisi gave the green light to the project. However, it is also known that the issue between the parties has not been resolved yet. For this reason, Garibashvili focused on this issue in his meeting with Aliyev and informed the Georgian media about the decisions taken. Thus, messages were given by Garibashvili that the contacts regarding the conflict will continue, accelerate and be resolved very soon.
Why is Georgia Carrying out an Effective Diplomacy in the South Caucasus?
It is seen that after the 44-day war in the South Caucasus, a new status quo has emerged and particularly new transportation-infrastructure projects led by Russia have come to the fore. In this context, it can be said that Azerbaijan was the winner of the war, and Russia and Turkey benefited from the new geopolitical reality on the ground. On the other hand, Armenia is the losing side of the conflict. For this reason, Georgia, which has been vital importance in East-West trade for many years, has been worried that it will lose its importance in the new geopolitical situation.
The reason for Georgia to think like this is the issue of new transit corridors that will pass through the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Armenia (Syunik) and Azerbaijan. However, this is unlikely to be the situation for three reasons. First of all, it should be noted that; Existing transit routes through Georgia are built on years of mutual trust between Ankara, Tbilisi, and Baku. Moreover, more than one billion dollars has been invested in the improvement of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) Railway Line. A budget has also been allocated for the modernization and improvement of the E60 highway, which is the main East-West Road passing through the South Caucasus. In addition, the main energy pipelines of the region currently pass through the Caspian, Ganja Pass and Georgia. Considering that the Southern Gas Corridor is planned to be operational in the near future, it is clear that Georgia’s importance for regional transport will not decrease in the near future. Second, an investment of billions of dollars is required for the structuring of the new route proposed by Armenia through the Syunik province. It will take many years for this route to become operational. Because the trust problem between the parties must be overcome for this. Considering the attitude exhibited by Armenia, it is obvious that this will also take time. Therefore, it is not possible for previously completed transportation-infrastructure projects to lose their importance. The third is related to the possibility of realization of railway projects. However, the situation highlighted above also applies to railway projects.
As a result, while Georgia is implementing a policy towards Euro-Atlantic integration; At the same time, it does not want to be excluded from the processes taking place in the South Caucasus. Because the Tbilisi administration is aware of the geo-strategic importance of the country. Moreover, Georgia does not want to lose its status in the region by staying out of the peace process initiated under the mediation of Russia.
For this reason, Georgia tries to be included in th cooperation processes in the region by improving its relations with Azerbaijan and Armenia. After all, Tbilisi is making various moves to achieve its own national interests at the maximum level. However, the expectations and targets of Georgia in the regional policy will not be welcomed by Moscow. Therefore, it can be predicted that Georgia will follow the developments in the region closely and implement a strategy that considers the balance of power.
[1] “Armenian President Arrives in Georgia for Official Visit”, Armradio, https://en.armradio.am/2021/04/15/armenian-president-arrives-in-georgia-for-official-visit/, (Erişim Tarihi: 12.05.2021).
[2] “Armenian President Visits Tbilisi”, Civil, https://civil.ge/archives/413193, (Erişim Tarihi: 12.05.2021).
[3] “Prime Minister Garibashvili Visits Baku”, Civil, https://civil.ge/archives/418007, (Erişim Tarihi: 12.05.2021).
