Currently, Moscow and Tbilisi don’t have state relations. Let’s not even talk about relations at the political level. Just the fact that the two accuse each other of immorality in foreign policy and the incompatibility of mentalities at the level of foreign ministries is enough. But we can talk about economic relations, although there is a lack at the present due to the fact that most of the decisions made in economics are driven by the mutilations in politics. The more those mutilations continue, the more they remind us of the “debates” of the criminal gangs and this is not an exaggeration.
“GazProm” is treating Georgia just like the landlord treats the tenant by turning off his “counter” if he doesn’t pay the rent. First, Tbilisi was offered to pay 220 dollars for 1000 cubic meters of gas. Then GazProm immediately announced that that was not the final price. The Georgian authorities gave a comeback and were disappointed, saying that “GazProm” should not have done something like that. After a gap, “GazProm” announced that the correct price was 230 dollars for 1000 cubic meters of gas. This once again started a commotion.
“We won’t buy gas from “GazProm” for a political price,” announced Georgian president Mikhail Sahakashvili.
High-ranking Georgian government officials started looking for alternative sources of gas in the region and abroad. Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli was convincing Georgia’s American patrons in Washington to come to terms with Iran regarding cooperation. Minister of Energy Nika Gilauri spent more time in Baku, Tehran and Ankara during the past month than he has in Tbilisi. President Sahakashvili departed for the CIS countries’ summit “in order to look the Russian president in the eye”, but when the latter ignored him, Sahakashvili asked for help from his Azerbaijani homologue Ilham Aliev. While all this was going on, speaker of the Georgian parliament Nino Burjanadze was in the center of attention of the international community during different forums. As a result, Washington agreed to go along with the short-term cooperation with Iran patronized by the “revolutionary authorities” of Georgia. Baku, Tehran and Ankara calmed Gilauri down by telling him that all problems are solved. Aliev promised to lend a helping hand to Sahakashvili and that’s how Georgian presses explain the tension in the relations between Moscow and Baku. Burjanadze’s big announcements were paid attention to.
“We’ll have gas,” said the authorities to the people.
But…It turned out that the Azerbaijani “Shah-Deniz” gas just wasn’t enough to fulfill the needs of Georgia. It’s not even enough for Baku, which takes care of its needs by half in the best case scenario. That’s why Azerbaijan is purchasing gas from “GazProm”. “GazProm”, in its turn, announced that it plans on reducing the volumes of gas supplied to Azerbaijan and raising the price so that Azerbaijan won’t be able to supply gas to Georgia. Ankara, which cordially received the Georgian delegation headed by Sahakashvili, preferred the fixed mechanism of paying for the “Shah-Deniz” gas rather than the friendly relations on one condition-if it shared that gas with Georgia. As heard on CNN-Turk television, the Georgian delegation didn’t have that kind of a document and that was the reason why the negotiations hung in thin air. According to “Rustavi-2” television, the North Caucasus gas pipeline neither exploded nor was blown up and we should forget about the “Shah-Deniz” gas for a while. In fact, despite the sad events, Baku was right on time-‘we want to help Georgia, but it just doesn’t work out; we don’t supply Georgia with gas in order to keep relations with Russia, stop pressuring us with the increase of the gas price’. What’s standing in the way of Georgia to start importing gas from Iran? It’s not clear. Experts predict that the reason is the price; otherwise the negotiations with “GazProm” wouldn’t restart. However…”Do you want gas? Here you have it,” said “GazProm”. But now you’ll get it for 235 dollars per 1000 cubic meters. Tbilisi “fell in a trap” and is now forced to import Russian gas for the next four months, but not for 230 dollars which was offered a couple of weeks ago, rather a new price. Will “GazProm” really leave the “counter” on?