A Step to a Better Future
A Step to a Better Future is a peace initiative....[1] proposed by the Cabinet of Ministers of Georgia aimed at developing ties between Georgia, on the one hand, and Abkhazia and South Ossetia, on the other. The “Step to a Better Future” was presented by the Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili at a government meeting on April 4, 2019.
Background[edit]
The basic principles of the program[edit]
The program is aimed at improving the humanitarian and socio-economic situation of residents of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) in the following areas:[citation needed]
- expansion and simplification of trade along dividing lines;
- creating additional opportunities for quality education and simplifying access to each level of education both domestically and abroad;
- the creation of such a mechanism by which access to the benefits and benefits that became available as a result of the development of Georgia, including on the path of European integration, will be simplified, including the right to visa-free travel and free trade.
Support[edit]
But the new Georgian initiative is quite actively supported in the EU. “These proposals fully fit into the policy of Georgia to involve Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, within the framework of which the EU is currently implementing a number of projects. We support initiatives aimed at creating “bridges” on the dividing lines and resolving humanitarian problems, ”said Maya Kosyanchich, official representative of the EU diplomacy director Federica Mogherini, in a statement[2]
Criticism from Abkhazia and South Ossetia[edit]
During 2018-2019, Georgia took a number of actions to develop trade infrastructure on the administrative border with Abkhazia in order to attract residents of border regions. In practice, the Abkhazians, with their small volumes of products, are fully open to the Russian market and trade and infrastructure ties are established. Sukhum began to close checkpoints on the border with Georgia as unnecessary. As a result, only one Abkhazian-Georgian checkpoint Ingur officially operates, and the Russian border guards control the line of demarcation of the direction.
Most residents of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have Russian passports and are free to apply for studies in more than 1,100 Russian universities and any educational institutions around the world. In Georgia, there are currently about 60 universities in which training is conducted mainly in Georgian. At the same time, the youth of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, for their part, do not speak Georgian.
The vast majority of residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia live below the poverty line and travel abroad (especially to EU countries) are inaccessible to them. Moreover, German Minister of the Interior Thomas de Mezieres proposed to suspend the visa-free regime of the EU countries with Georgia due to the increased number of crimes committed by Georgians in Europe[3]
Abkhazian Foreign Minister Daur Kovi praised the Georgian Step for a Better Future plan very skeptically. “Having exhausted its resources of pressure on Abkhazia, Georgia once again decided to demonstrate to the world community a semblance of friendliness towards our state, skillfully masking its true intentions under the guise of the above initiatives. In this regard, I would like to turn to the political leadership of Georgia with a proposal to end the lie for the sake of my selfish political ambitions. ”The Republic of Abkhazia is an independent, sovereign state. The only step towards a better future is the recognition by Georgia of the independence of the Republic of Abkhazia and the construction of a full-fledged interstate dialogue between our countries in the name of stability and prosperity for future generations. There is no alternative to this process” added Daur Kovi[4]
Criticism from Georgia[edit]
Tornike Sharashenidze, head of the international relations program at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, said the Step to a Better Future program is doomed to failure. “It is foolish to offer Ossetians and Abkhazians the possibility of free trade with the European Union, which our population normally cannot use” he noted[5]
References[edit]
- ↑ "A step to a Better Future" (PDF).
- ↑ "«Шаги к лучшему будущему» год спустя»". Мировое обозрение - новости, аналитика, иносми, вооружения (in русский). Retrieved 2019-09-02.
- ↑ "«Шаг к лучшему будущему» – что скрывается за мирной инициативой? — Южная Осетия" (in русский). Retrieved 2019-09-04.
- ↑ "Еще «один шаг к лучшему будущему»". Эхо Кавказа (in русский). Retrieved 2019-09-04.
- ↑ "«Шаг к лучшему будущему» – что скрывается за мирной инициативой? — Южная Осетия" (in русский). Retrieved 2019-09-04.
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