On July 18-20, the first official visit in 22 years and the first actual visit in 9 years by the President of Ukraine to Georgia to meet with the President and Prime Minister took place. The two presidents signed a declaration of strategic partnership, according to which the priority for the two countries is the …
On July 18-20, the first official visit in 22 years and the first actual visit in 9 years by the President of Ukraine to Georgia to meet with the President and Prime Minister took place.
The two presidents signed a declaration of strategic partnership, according to which the priority for the two countries is the liberation of their territories and mutual support in restoring territorial integrity. The strategic partnership was confirmed.
Separate agreements were reached in the field of education (on the study of the Ukrainian language in educational institutions in Georgia), as well as on interregional cooperation between Ajara and Odesa region.
Background
This agreement is a natural expression of the friendly relations between the Ukrainian and Georgian peoples, which have been actively improving since the end of 2004.
The current statements of the Georgian president only confirm the general Eastern European trend that was once demonstrated by Leonid Kuchma and that Moldovan leader Igor Dodon is quite capable of repeating. Despite his pre-election intentions to normalize relations with Russia and resolve the Abkhazian/Ossetian conflict through diplomatic means, since the spring of 2015, Margvelashvili has consistently made statements criticizing Russia’s foreign policy and values.
Reasons:
Slowing down Ukraine’s further European integration (refusal to include a thesis on Ukraine’s European aspirations at the EU-Ukraine forum), Kyiv’s de facto reorientation to intensifying contacts with post-Soviet states (Poroshenko’s visits to Moldova and Georgia, and a meeting with the president of Belarus).
Forecast.
In the medium term:
- Further decline in the popularity of Mikheil Saakashvili and his political force, weakening of the “Saakashvili factor” in domestic Ukrainian politics.
- Increased anti-Russian rhetoric by the presidents of Ukraine and Georgia.
- Reanimation of the geopolitical concept of the Intermarium around the “Ukrainian-Georgian axis”.
In fact, the friendship of the Ukrainian and Georgian peoples and a strong diplomatic, military and political alliance between the two states could become the basis for the Baltic-Black Sea Union or Intermarium, an alliance of Central and Eastern European states that build their relations on the principles of equality and mutual respect, and are ready to effectively defend their independence, first and foremost, against Russia’s claims.
Oleksiy Kurinnyi, expert, member of the FPDI Board
