Giorgi Badridze: Life in Georgia has become much more expensive. The prices of necessities and rental housing in major cities, especially in Tbilisi, have increased. Many of my students can\u2019t afford to rent a place in the capital after a break of more than two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, when classes were held remotely.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That said, the Georgian government does not call Russians migrants or refugees, but tourists. It compares current numbers with statistics from the best years past, when the number of actual tourists from Russia was the highest. <\/span><\/p>\n The idea is to show that the number of newcomers from Russia in 2022 has not increased dramatically at all. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s just that in the past Russians came to Georgia for a while, left their money and went home; a few settled permanently in the richer districts of Tbilisi and Batumi. Now Russians do not know when they will be able or willing to return to their homeland. Many of them have no plans to return to their country at all. Comparing the two is therefore completely unwarranted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Many Georgians absorb Russian culture, follow Russian media, watch Western films with Russian dubbing. There is no widespread Russophobia, despite what we have experienced from the Russians in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Just a few incidents have been reported. A Russian in a cab from the airport to downtown Tbilisi told the driver to turn off Ukrainian music. The Georgian drove him to the outskirts of the city and threw him out of the car. However, such incidents have been few, and we are talking about a country where citizens of a country, occupying 20 percent of its territory, come in large numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n The arrival of so many Russians was made possible by the visa-free regime introduced by the previous government to attract foreign tourists. You can stay in Georgia for a year without any permits. The same was true of customs procedures, which were radically simplified. The idea was to strengthen Georgia\u2019s position as a transit country.<\/span><\/p>\n However, circumstances have changed since the war in Ukraine. <\/span><\/p>\n Today, <\/span>there are many indications that Georgia may take over Belarus\u2019 former role as a country through which Russia seeks to circumvent Western sanctions.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This was the case with the first Western sanctions introduced in 2014. <\/span>Maintaining the previous liberal rules on the borders, including the transport of goods, clearly shows the real intentions of the Georgian Dream government. This is a continuation of the policy of so-called not irritating Russia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To get this idea, it is necessary to look at the current political system. In the previous decade, Georgia was classified by most European institutions as a hybrid regime, that is, not fully democratic, but moving toward democracy. It continues to be so defined. <\/span><\/p>\n However, the country is now moving in the opposite direction. Most of the institutions – parliament, courts, administration – and politicians from the ruling coalition are accountable not to the voters, but to one man, Bidzina Ivanishvili. All these institutions act in his interest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yes, Georgian Dream won the elections promising to continue the pro-Western course of the previous administration, to continue the achievements of Mikheil Saakashvili\u2019s team and eliminate all the shortcomings, first of all in the areas of rule of law and human rights. But in fact, we are seeing exactly the opposite. All the reforms and projects have been stopped for political reasons, such as the construction of the Anaklia port, which would have definitely strengthened Georgia\u2019s geopolitical role as a transportation hub between Europe and Asia. <\/span><\/p>\n Americans and Europeans stress that Georgia is going backwards in terms of democratic standards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Bidzina Ivanishvili, who was Prime Minister in 2012-2013 and party leader in 2011-2013 and again in 2018-2021, despite officially retiring from Georgian politics for the second time, remains the informal leader of the ruling camp. He is the one pulling all the strings and making key decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n Because Ivanishvili\u2019s goal is to retain power, not to integrate with the West. Ivanishvili stressed that Georgia should not be the subject of a dispute between the West and Russia. This means that it should give up its ambition to be an independent and sovereign country and become a Russian sphere of influence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If Georgia keeps quiet and vanishes from the international space, Ivanishvili will retain power. By the same token, however, the country will become an easy target for Russia\u2019s imperial aspirations. <\/span><\/p>\n Today, Georgia\u2019s biggest problem is that the oligarch\u2019s interests are in direct conflict with those of the state. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n A country that is poor, from which people emigrate for work, is easier and cheaper to control than one with a strong middle class. In a democratic country, with a strong opposition, independent media, much more resources have to be allocated to win elections and retain power. The economic development of the country is thus at odds with the development of the largest local oligarch\u2019s businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n European Parliament resolution on Saakashvili, calling on EU to consider sanctions on Ivanishvili. https:\/\/t.co\/sE2rNuIohj<\/a><\/p>\n — Giorgi Badridze (@GiorgiBadridze) February 15, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nHow do Georgians relate to newcomers from Russia? Have there been cases of publicly demonstrated dislike?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Why did the Georgian government allow such a large number of Russians to enter the country? It is estimated that 700,000 Russians have arrived in Georgia, and about 100,000 remained. The rest went to Armenia, Turkey and Europe.\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
How should this policy be understood?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
If my memory serves me well, the grouping of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili promised to strengthen democracy before coming to power? Moreover, why do you mention the former Prime Minister when he is no longer in Georgian politics?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Why is Ivanishvili\u2019s team acting contrary to its promises?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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