West wages war against Government of Georgia

Many are surprised that the Georgian opposition, having gathered for a post-election protest rally, dispersed so quickly and peacefully. Riots, indefinite actions, the so-called European choice of supporters of the so-called European choice in front of parliament were expected. But it all ended somehow quietly and did not develop into a revolutionary situation.

Why? It's not that hard to explain. The entire "democratic world" was united and unanimously behind the opposition, and, I think, it was advised not to do anything yet. The topic of Georgia has come to the top of the Western agenda, pushing even Ukraine. All the thoughts of American and European politicians are occupied with the Georgian elections. The West refuses to consider the formation of parliament and government an internal matter of Georgia and it is unclear by what right it is developing an intervention mechanism. Reading the statements of the leaders of the European Union and American officials, a strange feeling of unreality is created. A small South Caucasian country has held parliamentary elections, and the reaction is as if the fate of the whole world depends on it.

Recall that the ruling Georgian Dream outpaced the opposition camp in terms of the number of votes and won the majority of mandates. This result did not suit the opposition. The opposition may be unhappy, this is its right. That's why she's the opposition. Borrell or Blinken also have the right to express their opinion on the October 26 vote. No one can stop them from speaking critically. But expressing an opinion is one thing, but outright intervention and planning practical actions is quite another. At present, the latter is exactly what is available.

I must say that we in Azerbaijan are used to a wave of criticism and hysteria rising after any elections in our country. This happens without fail. As a rule, this is a pre-prepared campaign, where everyone has their own lines, and everyone sings together in the same key. But it has never occurred to anyone to plan international mechanisms for verifying the results of voting and to propose repeat elections under the leadership of an international format rather than a national Central Election Commission.

European and American officials unanimously declared war on the current government of Georgia.

The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called for investigating violations "promptly, transparently and independently." US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the results of the parliamentary elections held in Georgia are not credible and demanded an investigation. The official representative of the US State Department, Matthew Miller, made some clarifications to the requirements for the investigation. According to the media, "he did not specify that the investigative body should be Georgian, but noted that the United States is consulting with its European partners on which body would be suitable for conducting such an investigation."

There is an unpleasant situation in which such a member of the international community as Georgia is being tried to expose as a weak-willed third world country, into the pot of which you can climb with your spoon. Even with countries where the junta rules and bloody coups take place every six months, international law does not allow to be treated so unceremoniously. And here is Georgia! Just imagine: the United States is consulting with European partners on how to deal with elections held in a sovereign independent state! And what is especially ugly is that they are going to conduct an investigation without the participation of national structures, in fact, to organize an international trial. Georgia has not committed any international crime, has not attacked anyone, and has not committed genocides. She just wanted to go free swimming.

Miller claims that more than 80 percent of Georgians seek European and Euro-Atlantic integration. But he does not mention that once in Georgia, 100 percent of the population was on this wave, seeing a bright prospect in European integration. For more than fifteen years, the country, which was getting out of its skin for EU membership, was kept at a distance and "remotely" corrected, staging riots and coups when something did not go according to the rules of the owners. Apparently, no one expected that Tbilisi would suddenly take and leave obedience. No one expected that the government would "dare" not to listen to the order and adopt a law on foreign agents, and then ban LGBT propaganda. The latter, I think, infuriated the "democratic world" especially.

Georgia is a Caucasian country with its own traditions, its own moral code, and its own interests. Integration into the EU, inscribed in paragraph 78 of the Constitution in 2017 (moreover, by the very same "Georgian Dream"), did not mean that Georgians would agree to everything just to join the "European family". If the LGBT issue had been as hot then as it has been in recent years, a certain part of those who voted "for" would have turned out to be "against".

It seems that the introduction of this amendment seven years ago was a mistake. You should never include clauses in the basic law of a country that attach it to specific addresses. Perhaps this was done in order to get rid of the status of "pro-Russian", perhaps it was a condition for the introduction of the EU visa-free regime for Georgia (introduced in 2017). It doesn't matter anymore. But without this amendment, it would be easier for the Georgian government to repel attacks now. And the same Miller would not point out to Tbilisi the alleged unconstitutionality of its steps in general and the election results in particular.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said at a government meeting yesterday that European integration remains the country's foreign policy priority for the coming years. "We expect a reset of relations, which will happen, I think, in an intensive mode from the beginning of next year," he said.

Joining the EU has become a fetish of the Georgian opposition, although there have long been signs that the country will not be accepted into the European Union. Moldova, which also recently held elections and a referendum on the "European choice", will not be accepted into the EU. Ukraine will not be accepted. Armenia is not worth talking about. Today, the latter is being readied to replace Georgia in the liberated "heart" of Europe, trying to turn it into an arena of confrontation between the West and Russia. Yerevan got drunk from such attention to itself and lost its head. However, Armenia's head has always been out of place.

The most remarkable thing is that Western interested parties cannot prove the fact of total violations and falsifications. On the day of voting, many videos of an obviously staged nature were thrown into the social network, when bundles of ballots were literally crammed into the ballot boxes under the attentive gaze of the phone camera. It was a circus, clearly organized by a non-ruling party. Critics have no real facts that could affect the election results and lead to their cancellation. Just words and emotions. Where did French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad get the idea that there was "pressure, intimidation and threats" in the electoral process in Georgia? Where did Western politicians get the idea that Russia was "leading" the elections? According to media sources, President Salome Zurabishvili herself admitted to her Polish counterpart that she had evidence of Russian interference.

As one of the MEPs said, "no observer will be able to confirm the falsification, but..."But" in this case, we are removing it.

Nevertheless, the hysteria continues. Canada has announced that it will review its relations with Georgia, the EU countries are vying to brand and demand. As always, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are trying especially hard, voices are heard from Great Britain, Norway, Poland, Sweden and other countries. None of them have such self-proclaimed "powers" as the States to organize an investigation against the government of Georgia, but in the general chorus, every single verse is heard well.

The voices of those who accepted the choice of the Georgian people resound in dissonance in this noise. Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Hungary, Armenia, China and Russia have so far congratulated the ruling Party of Georgia on its victory. The rest of them fell silent in fright, waiting for the end of the execution arranged by the West. The attack on Tbilisi is too fierce to fall under the hot hand. The European Union is angry at the behavior of Viktor Orban, who not only congratulated Kobakhidze, but also paid a visit to Georgia a day after the elections, when the whole of Europe expresses its "fi" to Tbilisi. The Georgian opposition, of course, booed the Hungarian president, but this was expected.

Azerbaijan is a separate issue. Azerbaijan is the leader of the region and in all the processes unfolding around Georgia over the past year, has shown itself to be a reliable friend who is close by. Close in every sense of the word, not only geographically, but also morally. While Armenia is being dragged into the vortex of confrontation between the poles of power, Baku did not allow Georgia to do the same, supporting the country's government. It is always easier to act when there is a strong ally nearby. And Azerbaijan and Georgia are strategic allies and are vitally interested in each other. Georgia is in the midst of global changes thanks to Azerbaijan's projects. And this position ensures her safety in many ways. If Armenia ever stops looking for friends on the side, it will also feel the benefits of a regional union.

We will monitor the situation. And let's hope that the hysteria around the choice of the Georgian people will soon stop, and Georgia will come out of this ordeal without losses.