A native of France, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili was outraged by the introduction of a visa-free regime by Russia.
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
One of the Georgian political experts, having learned about Russian abolition of visas for citizens of Georgia, immediately reacted to the news, giving a forecast that soon everyone would hear “the cries of the leadership of Ukraine.” But the leadership of Ukraine is still digesting, and the “screams” were heard in Tbilisi itself. The president of Georgia began to yell. A native of France, Salome Zurabishvili.
Madame Zurabishvili immediately stated that the decision of the President of Russia to abolish visas and resume direct flights between Russia and Georgia is Moscow’s provocation against Tbilisi. In addition, she demanded to immediately convene the Security Council of the Republic to decide on the introduction of three-month visas for Russian citizens to enter Georgia And, finally, stop teaching in Russian in Russian-language kindergartens in Georgia.
– I propose to convene the National Security Council and consider the introduction of visas for Russian citizens for a period of three months, which is necessary for us, taking into account internal challenges. There is a need for greater state control over Russians entering our country, so it is necessary to take some measures so that all this is within a normal civilized framework, Zurabishvili said. – Georgia does not need any alleged concessions from Russia. The decision of the Russian leadership is contrary to the interests of Georgia.
As a matter of fact, no one said a word about any concessions from Russia. Moreover, the Russian president. And talk about the possibility of canceling visas for Georgians and resuming air traffic has been circulating in Moscow for at least about six months. But Zurabishvili has his own vision of the situation. And where does Madame President see the very contradiction?
– It will cause tension, at least between the parties. At the same time, I am sure that this will not cause any tension in society, but will cause a very strong reaction from the society, which is well aware that when Russia takes such steps, it does it based on its interests, – she substantiates and issues a final summary . – Cancellation of the visa regime for Georgian citizens is unacceptable, inappropriate and untimely.
Amazing, illogical, if we proceed from considerations of common sense, logic and reason. At the very beginning of the tourist and holiday season, the head of state is told that many more tourists will now come to her, who will bring a lot of money to her country. At the same moment, the news comes that her compatriots, without any prohibitions and bureaucratic delays, will be able to visit their relatives in another country (as well as these relatives, let me remind you, in most cases – with money, it will become much easier, and in some cases even cheaper, trips to their Georgian mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, nephews, etc.). Yes, even without money – it is enough to visit the same Tbilisi once not passing through to understand and see how many people are included in the concept of “Georgian family”, and what place it occupies in the life of the whole society. And there is also a courtyard. And by the way, not only in Tbilisi, in other places all these ties are even stronger. And it is worth walking past the Swiss embassy in Tbilisi, where the Russian section issues visas for Georgians to enter Russia, and appreciate the scale of the crowd that is constantly seething in line there, to see how much Georgians “do not really need to go to Russia.”
Zurabishvili’s positive attitude towards resolving these problems alone could raise her presidential rating and provide the margin of safety she needs in order to run for a second presidential term. Let me remind you that now she is 71 years old, she became president in December 2018, the next presidential election will be held in 2024, and although they will be held according to a completely different formula, such a step would still ensure the sympathy of not only the population, but also the electors. Therefore, it is likely that Salome does not want to go for a second term, since she does not care deeply about the needs of her fellow tribesmen.
Above them and above the interests of Georgia, she puts, it turns out, the interests of the United States, although she was born and raised in France, and even for a long time was a diplomat of the French Foreign Ministry. She considers the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia to be her main success as head of the Georgian Foreign Ministry. And when she became president, she announced the refusal of any cooperation with Russia, which fit into her repeated statements about the importance of partnership and friendship with the United States. It was in the United States that she flew away when demonstrations and actions began in Tbilisi against the adoption of the “law on foreign agents”, it was from there that she, against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty in New York, she announced her support for the protesters and assured that “America is with them”, because in Washington, they demanded that Tbilisi refuse to adopt this law, even if it was actually “written off” from a similar American one. And Moscow’s current decisions to waive visas and open direct flights run counter to American interests in the region, and therefore the Georgian “Baba Yaga is against it.”
By the way, as far as the government of Georgia is concerned, the reaction here is completely opposite to the presidential one. The head of the Georgian Foreign Ministry “welcomes the abolition of the visa regime by Russia.” The Speaker of the Parliament reaffirmed that Georgia would not impose anti-Russian sanctions in order to avoid exacerbation of relations.
– For our country, the main priority is our population and everything that serves to strengthen their economy. It is important to note that up to a million Georgian citizens live in the Russian Federation, and this decision will facilitate their travel to Georgia, their connection with their homeland and, of course, will make it easier for them to connect with family members, – Deputy Minister of Economy explained Tbilisi’s position from the point of view of her department and Sustainable Development of Georgia Mariam Kvrivishvili. And the Ministry of Economy of the republic itself has already stated that it will allow the flights of airlines that have not fallen under sanctions, after receiving a notification from Moscow.
Russia used “soft power”, but not everyone liked it. For some, yes, but for others, it hurt a lot. Here Zurabishvili blows on the bruised, trying to neutralize the pain with the conspiracy “Joseph is not in pain.” It has no other “anesthesia” for the United States, no real powers, otherwise it would have tried to prohibit Georgians from visiting Russia, introducing criminal liability for this.
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