Today, more than a quarter of a century after the signing of the Act on Restoration of State Independence of Georgia on April 9, 1991, the collapse of the project of an "independent Georgian state" is becoming increasingly evident.
Such a conclusion is made by all those who observe the situation in the neighboring country from an objective standpoint and have the opportunity to compare the level of development of the economic, social, cultural, scientific, industrial and other key spheres of life.
The people of Georgia live in a state of constant stress for a quarter of a century as a result of a series of wars, revolutions and other socio-political shocks and cataclysms. All this time, numerous politicians and political parties, rooted in the media and government, have been repeating the same mantras, which successfully smothered the slightest glimpses of the genuine thought process in the Georgian politics.
The authorities manage to induce and drown in endless conversations the rational protests of the population against their plight. The high prices of the most important goods and products, the creeping inflation, the lack of hope for an increase in the material condition for the majority of the working population is the heavy price that the Georgianpoliticians force to pay their own people .
After the opening of a visa-free travel regime for the citizens of Georgia to the European Union countries, a grand deception was exposed to the people of Georgia. They were promised an opportunity to work in Europe and return to their homeland with the money they earned there. This turned out to be a fraud. Also they were deceived by the promise to open European markets for goods and services from Georgia. The other day, on June 22, former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has said that Europe "puts Ukraine on its knees" and the country's economy is collapsing. If the position of the largest state, located on the territory of Europe is described in such a way, then what can be said about Georgia? It seems that even the inhabitants of Georgia themselves do not guess, blinded by the many years of professional brainwashing, in how depressing situation is their state because of politicians.
The economic ties were broken, the industry was destroyed, and the profit was considerable, agriculture was on its side, although it did not bring such profit, but still allowed the peasants to live well enough by today`s standards. The warmth of friendship with the neighboring nations was also destroyed. But most importantly - under the aggressive pressure of Western culture- anticulture, traditions, moral principles and spiritual ties within Georgian society are being destroyed. The society – is being atomized...
The Georgian people created their material and spiritual values for decades and centuries. But they were sacrificed on the altar of European integration. In exchange for the misery and suffering of the citizens of Georgia, they promised super profits from transportation of hydrocarbons via the Baku-Tbilisi-Supsa, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, then Nabucco which remained a project, though superior to others in terms of advertising hype), then - from European integration, then from the supply of their wines, tea and other goods to Europe ... But instead of opening their markets for Georgian goods, Europe, on the contrary, turned Georgia into a sales market. The Georgian people had the right to expect more than simply the abolition of cheap visa. However, the old, kind Europe, which did not appreciate the great victims of the Georgian people, behaved itself extremely ungratefully.
Contrary to promises, the transformations that have taken place since 1991 have enriched only Georgian politicians and officials, and ordinary voters turned out to be strangers on this "holiday of life".
In these conditions, has intensified the propaganda of the alleged necessity of Georgia's accession to NATO. The Georgian citizens are told that Georgia's accession to NATO will raise the overall economic situation in the country and will also allow seizing South Ossetia and Abkhazia. However, the persistent promises regarding the failed membership in the EU and then the abolition of visas turned out to be a gross fraud, but this does not bother the Georgian politicians.
To use any opportunities to remain on the agenda of NATO is the motto of the current Georgian government. In other words, in order to enter the alliance, they are ready to do everything.
Someone can say that there is nothing special about this. They say they want and let them to do it. However, this is only a superficial view. In fact, everything is a little more complicated.
For example, in order to prove its loyalty to the Euro-Atlantic block, Georgia since 1999 has sent its servicemen to participate in military missions. First - Kosovo, then - Iraq, where for four years the contingent has been increased by20 times. Georgians were serving in Africa. This year the number of servicemen in Afghanistan reached 870 people and in number is second only to the United States. During this time, 31 Georgian servicemen were killed in operations under the aegis of NATO. I want to note that at the same time, Georgia is still not a member of NATO.
Then the question arises about the appropriateness of such actions.
Probably, no one wants to be killed in a foreign country for unknown ideals,
But no, it turns out that one has to wait for its turn to take part in the Afghan peacekeeping mission. The reason is banal - a high salary. In the conditions of liquidation of their own economy and impoverishment of a large part of the population, a trip to Bagram remains the only opportunity to earn a little.
Probably, we should be happy for those guys who, risking their lives, managed to break into the peacekeepers and save up at the expense of Uncle Sam, But it's not all that simple. It turns out that most of the funding comes from the Georgian budget and is estimated at tens of millions of dollars. At the same time Tbilisi should not forget that prices can jump, because D. Trump no longer wants to pay for his "poor relatives" in the bloc,
As a result, for more than a quarter of a century Georgia has not been able to reach the main widely advocated objectives. During this time, dozens of politicians on the deceiving of their own people for the sake of the West have made multimillion fortunes, and millions of ordinary Georgians found themselves at a level that in 1991 could not be foreseen even in the worst dream. And because of the promises of the West about the imminent accession to the EU and NATO, the country continues to lose millions of dollars and dozens of human lives only in military operations, and if you count the deceased from poverty, poor-quality food, inaccessible expensive medical care, then even more.
During one of the past revolutions in Georgia, we have written that Georgia does not need another revolution, but a revolutionary rethinking of the traversed path. The Georgian people must say their word whether it is necessary for them to continue the protracted experiment or it is time for the country to return to the tested path of historical development.
Inal Pliev,
International expert IA "Res"
