What risks does a revision of Kyiv’s policy towards Georgia’s government pose? A view from Tbilisi
On Georgia's Independence Day, thousands of citizens once again gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi to remind the authorities that they have no intention of giving up and will continue fighting for their country’s European future until complete victory.
The Independence Day celebrations demonstrated that neither the government nor society is prepared to make concessions.
Therefore, according to Amiran Khevtsuriani, a professor at the Georgian Technical University, another escalation of the political crisis is only a matter of time. In this context, he says, Georgian society has questions for the Ukrainian authorities.
Read more in Amiran Khevtsuriani’s column: Reaching an understanding with Russia's friends: is Ukraine changing its policy towards Georgia?
The professor argues that, ahead of potential new confrontations, Georgian society needs to understand whose support it can count on.
"And here the main question is directed at the Ukrainian authorities," the author writes.
He draws attention to what he sees as a revision of Kyiv's official approach towards Georgia’s ruling party – Georgian Dream.
According to Khevtsuriani, the first alarming signal came in early May when, on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally approached Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and spoke with him.
Then, on 15 May, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held talks with his Georgian counterpart Maka Bochorishvili, stating that Kyiv was ready to open a new chapter in relations with Georgia and restore a constructive dialogue.
"Such a turn in Ukraine's foreign policy has caused undisguised surprise among many people in Georgia," the professor notes, reminding readers that Prime Minister Kobakhidze and several other senior Georgian officials remain under Ukrainian sanctions.
However, Khevtsuriani believes the key question for the Ukrainian authorities lies elsewhere. In the past, President Zelenskyy publicly expressed support for participants in the pro-European protests in Tbilisi.
"Does this current 'opening of a new chapter in relations' mean that the President of Ukraine is backing away from his previous words?" the author asks.
He concludes that it would be very helpful if the Ukrainian authorities provided a clearer explanation of how they now view relations with Georgia’s current government and where Ukraine’s red lines lie today.