Interview withMalkhaz Gulashvili, president and founder of Georgian Times Media Holding.
Q: What can you say about recognition of breakaway Abkhazia by a tiny island of Nauru? Do you think it will be followed by recognition of Georgia’s breakaway region by other countries?
A: This is another step that Russia and Abkhazia use to reach the world recognition and it does not matter whether the recognizing country is big or tiny. This country is a subject of international law and it is used in world geopolitical games.
Nauru and other countries have recognized independence of Abkhazia but I think that there is a need for a new configuration in the Caucasus that would take into account the national and state interests of Georgia and national interests of Russia for the purpose of establishing peace in the region. Russia and Georgia will cooperate to this end.
Q: Much has recently been spoken of possible resumption of air communication between Georgia and Russia and opening of Upper Lars. Is the thaw in Georgian-Russian relations possible by New Year?
A: Initially, we with the Russian Social Chamber raised the issue of restoration of air communication between Moscow and Tbilisi, return of Georgian agricultural products to the Russian market, opening of the Lars checkpoint in 2008. We also raised this issue before Russian President Dmitri Medvedev at the recent media forum and let no one attribute this to himself. We have set this issue to improve relations between peoples. When air communication is restored, this will be a system regulation.
We expect the air communication to resume after New Year, our production to enter the Russian market and the Lars checkpoint to open for Georgia. By the way, the news agencies have already declared that the first direct flight between Moscow and Tbilisi will resume from 26 December.
Q: Is the return of South Ossetia and Abkhazia under Georgia’s control possible?
A: In order to return Sukhumi and Tkhinvali, the people of Georgia should first return the Abkhazian and Ossetian people. We need to work much in this direction. We are working together with the Abkhaz and Ossetian communities and the community of Russia to soften relations and intensify them. We should open the closed arteries for business, economy and transport and help refugees return to their homelands.
Q: Armenians have intensified their claims on ancient Georgian Javakheti. How do you evaluate the current Georgian-Armenian relations, in particular, the recent “Church scandal”?
A: Armenians consider that Armenia’s claims on Javakheti are a provocation against them. This is primarily a bad action towards Armenians. Armenia understands that Javakheti does not belong to them and Armenians settled there after they were driven away from Turkey. Certainly, we should create the best conditions for them, but all those attempts to prove that they are discriminated in Georgia are a lie. I also would like to inform you that the social and economic problems are deteriorated in Javakheti and other regions of Georgia. We should join efforts to settle this issue.
The church scandal seems to be used by others. Houses and a church collapsed but these were amortized buildings. The city administration did not react to this problem in time. We are really upset about it.
Q: What can be the positive and negative implications of opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia for Georgia?
A: The positive thing in the opening of borders between Armenia and Turkey will be the victory of peace in the Caucasus. Opportunities will appear for implementation of the concept of peaceful Caucasus which implies resolution of conflicts in this region by means of economic methods. Georgia will have an opportunity to become a central moderator for the purpose of peaceful resolution in the Caucasus.
Georgia’s revenues will drop but Georgian tax and customs services will be more mobilized and try to compete the Turkish customs services.
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