During an interview with the “Freedom” radio station of the Czech Republic, Armenian American diplomat Richard Kirakosyan has analyzed the the Mozdok-Tbilisi gas pipeline explosion and Georgia’s politics.
Millions of Georgians didn’t enjoy the first month of the New Year. Georgians lived through an energy crisis in the coldest weather ever and lots of snow.
The reason for this was the Mozkok-Tbilisi gas pipeline explosion which stopped the transfer of gas to Georgia and Armenia. President of Georgia M. Sahakashvili and Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili blamed Russia for what happened. The crisis got worse when the electricity wires of Eastern Georgia deteriorated.
The short but at the same time, deep crisis showed that Georgia is vulnerable, especially under Russia’s threat and pressure. This also brought up issues concerning Georgia’s energy security. Although Georgia’s natural gas issue remained under the cover of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, however, the crisis in Georgia says a lot about the security and stability of the region as a whole. The main idea is that Russia is using energy as a means of pressure. For Georgia, this is not only theoretical, but also practical. We must focus on two aspects of national security.
The first lesson that we learn from the energy crisis in Georgia is that Georgia doesn’t have energetic security. Until now, Georgia has only focused on national security when it comes to securing energy. The country has not paid much attention to diversifying sources of energy and searching for ways to provide energy on its own or alternatives. Georgia has not finished planning out its national security plan because it is still waiting until the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum gas pipeline is up and running.
The second aspect, which is the most important from the national security perspective, has to do with the unsatisfactory level of military reforms. Georgia’s announcements about its army and the current situation of the army don’t seem to fit. Georgia’s strive to become a member of NATO is more of a sense of pride rather than a goal.
The Georgian authorities are aimed towards making reforms in the army so that the country will be able to defend the country better and fulfill the requirements of getting accepted into NATO. Tbilisi has started taking some steps leading towards this-making constructive reforms and adopting principles set forth by NATO. Much has been done towards controlling the armed forces¸using the money provided by the state budget efficiently and improving financial management.
However, the present day situation of Georgia’s armed forces is far from meeting the minimal requirements of NATO. First of all, the leading figures of the armed forces have gone against making reforms. There is a conflict going on between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of National Security. The reason for this is that there is no plan for politics, there is also no plan to make reforms in the armed forces in order to shape it up.
Secondly, there are some problems with Georgia’s land, air and maritime armed forces. The Georgian army’s doctrine consists of a mixture that contradicts the doctrines of the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. There are some steps being taken in accepting the doctrine and moving the levels of the armed forces up. Training abroad might help, but the armed forces have refused. The situation has gotten worse because of that.
However, to tell you the truth, there is some progress. The Georgian army is currently full of professional soldiers and soldiers that are serving for a temporary period. The first and second brigades consist of professional soldiers (they have signed a contract); as for the third and fourth brigades, the soldiers are serving for a short period. There are still issues with wardrobes.
The budget for the air forces has gone up since 2000. Currently, there are 9 “SU-25” planes, instead of seven. There may be three new telepathic stations by the end of the year. However, Georgia’s armed forces can provide a limited amount of resources for the land forces at any given time. The search and rescue team, as well as the evacuation team, don’t have enough resources. The main obstacles for the development of the air forces are the bad equipment, as well as the fact that Georgia is still going along with the Soviet doctrines and organizational skills. We must mention the fact that the only mobilization site for planning out strategies can be the Tbilisi International Airport.
Georgia’s maritime forces are the worst forces of the country. There is no practical doctrine or any mission. There are no minimal resources necessary for keeping the boats and trainings. It’s clear that the maritime forces of Georgia are in the last place of Georgia’s defense due to the political situation, finances and equipment.
Sea border officials, which is the main factor of the Borderwatch department and is under the control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is the most efficient and most impressive force in Georgia today. The border officials are responsible for keeping the peace on the border. The border officials look over the sea section (286 kilomters) and the 12 meter sea level surface. The two main harbors of Georgia are also under the control of maritime border officials, including Poti and Batum, as well as a third harbor which is currrently under construction in the north of Poti.
Georgia is not in the public eye with its military reforms. This says a lot about the fact that Georgia is not ready to cooperate with Europe or the West (mainly through NATO). Here we have an interesting paradox-Georgia is not looking forward for a long term cooperation with NATO. Georgia is taking advantage of the pressure put on by Russia and is trying to convince both the West and NATO that they will win by cooperating with Georgia.
So, overall, the main issue facing Georgia is the military reforms. The important thing is not to join NATO and celebrate that victory, but rather to gain something while becoming a member. The steps taken towards reforming the armed forces will not only strengthen the country, but also they will provide Abkhazia and Southern Osetia with better opportunities to solve problems with the help of the army. Controlling the separated regions will weaken Russia’s pressure on Georgia.