Georgia’s new security concept (which I discovered via a great article by Daniel Holt of Publius Pundit) is currently only in draft form, subject to Parliamentary approval. If these excerpts from Civil Georgia are anything to go by, it’s going to be very well received in the West, and very badly received by Russia, who have been painted – pretty accurately – as Georgia’s bogeyman. Here are a few excerpts:
….According to the document the presence of Russian military bases in the country violates Georgia’s sovereignty and “undermines [Georgia's] economic and social stability.”
….In respect to energy supply challenges, the document reads that dependence on Russia makes Georgia vulnerable to foreign pressure.
….“Georgia aspires for a cooperation with Russia which is based on principles of neighborly relations, equal rights and mutual respect,” the document reads.
I particularly like the last comment about co-operation with Russia. Read on its own, it sounds relatively positive, but just try comparing it to the way in which Georgia refers to every other country mentioned. The US, Ukraine, Turkey and Azerbaijan are all "strategic partners", while even Armenia merits Georgia’s "pragmatic cooperation". With Russia though, Georgia merely "aspires" to co-operate.
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