Pashinyan’s visit to Tbilisi is over; he got a dog as a present

This time the tradition of the status of an official visit was violated: the parties did not sign bilateral documents and did not formalize their agreements and views with a joint statement. In the last hours of the visit, Prime Minister Gaharia presented Pashinyan a Caucasian Shepherd puppy, saying, "This is what Georgia could give its own to you."

The absence of bilateral agreements does not mean that the parties focused only on the Caucasian fauna. Pashinyan said that they discussed cooperation with their Georgian counterpart in the fields of transport, energy, telecommunications, education, science and regional security.

The public revelations of the parties were cautious,  and overly diplomatic, which can be dictated by the presence of a factor of regional instability - a conflict (Karabakh, Abkhaz, Ossetian) relations with neighbors (Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey) on which the positions as a whole are directly opposite.

For example. “We live in a complex region, we all understand perfectly and our governments understand that our stability and security are the basis for the development of our countries. First of all, we must take care of security ... ”, said Georgian Prime Minister George Gaharia. Nikol Pashinyan answered that Armenia and Georgia cannot pose a threat to each other’s security.

Pashinyan’s visit took place in a polarized and radicalized public mood. The Georgian press is full of angry anti-Russian articles. More recently, anti-Russian rallies in Tbilisi caused bloody clashes between protesters and police. The Armenian press published anti-Turkish and anti-Azerbaijani articles. Pashinyan voiced these moods in Tbilisi, noting that Turkey is getting more and more problems with its neighbors. The Georgians, who had recently conducted military exercises with the Turks, were silent.

Observers who have noticed these discrepancies ask themselves: It is difficult to imagine how these two countries, with such diverse geopolitical preferences, can have common approaches to ensuring security.

The safety of the two countries is being tested for resistance in connection with the spread of coronovirus. While Pashinyan was visiting Tbilisi, kilometer-long lines of Armenian trucks accumulated on the Georgian-Armenian border, which Georgian border guards detain during inspection. Georgia does not allow Armenian cars loaded with fruits and vegetables imported from Iran to enter its territory.

Due to the behavior of the Georgian side, the Armenian economy may receive the biggest blow in the coming days,” the Armenian newspaper “Lragir” writes. If the goods imported from Iran return and business entities have to sell them in Armenia, then the Armenian market will explode, since such a large consumption cannot be provided. As a result, prices for fruits and vegetables will drop sharply, and business in Armenia will suffer.

We add that the problems with the passage of Armenian heavy trucks across Georgian territory arise annually, are seasonal in nature (mountain roads are closed in winter), and are politically motivated, as they surprisingly coincide with the anti-Georgian statements of Armenian politicians.

The issue of Armenian cargo, as follows from the information of the press secretary of Prime Minister Pashinyan, was the main one. However, the results of discussions are not reported. "The Prime Minister (Armenia - Ed.) Reached an agreement on simplifying the procedures for mutual visits of citizens of the two countries. The issue related to the transportation of goods was raised," the representative wrote on Twitter.

From this statement, we can conclude that Pashinyan flew to Tbilisi to resolve urgently border and transport problems, the deterioration of which could seriously undermine stability in Armenia and its political positions.

Tbilisi voiced data on economic cooperation between the two countries. In 2019, trade between the countries was $ 680 million, of which export from Georgia amounted to more than 412 million. Armenia supplied goods to the Georgians for more than 267 million. This last indicator may seem insignificant in the structure of the Armenian economy, but it is significant because the interests of hundreds of thousands of small medium-sized entrepreneurs of the base electorate of Pashinyan are behind it.