Georgia, Turkey, Azerbaijan seek regional security cooperation, Defense Minister says

Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan share “common interests” in boosting the region’s security capabilities, Irakli Alasania, Georgia’s Defense Minister told TURAN’s Washington, DC correspondent, ahead of a trilateral summit that will take place today in Georgian capital with participation of the presidents of Turkey and two South Caucasus countries.

Energy, transportation projects involving three countries, such as the Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) gas pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway,are being discussed “at the highest level” in Tbilisi.

In the meantime, Alasania emphasized, the three neighbors are also seeking to bring a“security angle” for their cooperation,focusing perhaps on protectionof the regional infrastructure and energy projects.

Other topics that are beingdiscussed at the Tbilisi summit are what results there have been of economic, trade, transport and energy cooperation for the last decade and what comes ahead.

“Trans-Anatolian project, no doubt, will create hundreds of jobs in Georgia and bring millions of dollar through Azerbaijan and Turkey,”Alasania said.

Speaking early at the Washington-based Brookings Institution on Monday,the Georgian minister also mentioned the importance of regional solidarity, such as involving Armenia as well to the club.

“We have very good relations with Armenians... But they have to choose their path on their own. I believe that Armeniansare looking on their status [in the region] today. Without them the corridor of Trans-Caucasia won't be complete,” he said.

As for the Armenians leaving in Georgia, the minister said, “they are part of Georgia’s success” and the government makes sure it provides them all the rights, to put“less space to have them being used by outsiders against Georgia.”

On Russia, he said, although Georgians don't have any illusions that Kremlin will change its behavior or policies toward the country’s territorial integrity or NATO aspirations, but “we do hope the diffusion of tensions, the decrease of the military rhetoric between the two countries, will serve Georgia's interests best.”

 “And it will give us more space to develop ourselves, to develop our relationship with the Abkhazia and South Ossetia areas… This is the cornerstone of our policy: Be uncompromising on the territorial integrity. Be uncompromising on NATO aspiration, membership in NATO and the EU. But at the same time be sure that we are not going give a pretext to anybody in the region, specifically to Russians, to attack us politically or otherwise.”

Georgia,he said, prefers to “invest in future relationship in Russia”; keeping the social and cultural projects open.” 10-12 years after now, Russia will be different; their leaders will think differently that current ones,” he said.

In the meantime, Alasania emphasized, Georgia’s path toward NATO and European integration “remains unchanged”.

 “We are acting like a NATO country… We are acting like a European country, because we believe that our future is within Europe... And we regard ourselves as a future member. And this is why we are preparing ourselves institution-wise, in terms of freedom, in terms of democracy, and the military capabilities when ... the historical opportunity will open up to Georgia to join NATO and the EU.”

Georgia, he added, “cannot be dragged back to the confrontation of the early 1990s. And we want to make sure that our policies, our economic policies, our foreign policy, [are] specifically working to make sure that the Georgian people who elected us are now moving closer and closer to the European way of living standards. And this only can be done if the efforts that Georgia is making will be validated, will be appreciated by the NATO and the European countries.”

Looking ahead, one of the things Tbilisi is looking forward to is the signing of the association agreement. The next step is the NATO summit. Alasania called for progress in Georgia’s membership action plan, preferably in time for the September summit. Nations seeking to join NATO need “validation from the alliance that they are on the right track and taking the correct steps,” he said.

For Alasania one way the West can be more proactive and less reactive to Russia’s actions is through enlargement. The addition of NATO members is a positive and political measure to change the reality on the ground.

Alasania also mentioned his country’s need to develop on the military equipment, as “we deserve to have defense capabilities to protect ourselves”

On Ukraine, he stressed that legitimate election and leadership are“much needed at this point.”
Russians policy is about preventing Ukraine from the NATO membership by creating a breakaway territory; therefore he said, West “has to change the policy.”

Georgia,in its part, is having a step-by-step approach to the [NATO] integration… As the next step is a membership action plan, Tbilisi assures that it doesn’t see it as the using of Article 5, to make sure that the plan is not having tied up with the matter.

“This is a good signal for the region,” he said, “If you perform, do things, if you're qualified, you'll get it.”

A.Raufoglu

Washington, DC