Training | 2009.08.16
Georgia is rebounding – and resolute | Mikheil Saakashvili
A year on, the world is recognising the threat Russia\'s action posed to the entire region
A year ago today, Russia\'s 58th Army crossed over Georgia\'s internationally recognised borders. Thus began what the evidence shows was a long-planned invasion aimed at toppling my government and increasing Moscow\'s control over our region. A year later, the results are not what the Kremlin expected.
Tragically, 410 of our citizens, mostly civilians, were killed, and more than 1,700 were injured. Almost 130,000 people were forced to flee their homes, according to the UN high commissioner for refugees, including tens of thousands ethnically cleansed from villages in the Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. This is a humanitarian tragedy with numbers comparable to those in Bosnia, but still largely unnoticed by the global public. And in violation of the ceasefire signed on 12 August, about 10,000 Russian troops remain in the two Georgian territories.
Russian provocations have not stopped; snipers in Russian-controlled areas have killed 28 Georgian policemen since the ceasefire. In recent days, Moscow has engaged in a series of provocative acts and statements, echoing its prelude to last year\'s invasion. Even as the world watches, Moscow has vetoed monitoring missions . Despite all this, and contrary to some expectations, Georgia has rebounded. Our democratic institutions are growing. Foreign investors are returning. The world is recognising that the kind of behaviour Russia exhibited last August threatens not only Georgia but our entire region.
Since the 2003 Rose revolution , we have worked hard to replace a deeply corrupt, failing state with a modern, responsible state allied with the west; run by European standards; and committed to liberal democracy, free-market principles and peaceful relations with our neighbours. Twenty years after the fall of communism, that goal should be unremarkable. Russia should have welcomed a prosperous, stable neighbour. Instead, Moscow feels threatened by our aspirations – a fact that explains much about last August\'s events.
After the war, we faced a choice. Most countries confronting dire threats turn inward. We chose to reinforce our commitment to values we share with the west, such as personal and economic freedom. Such values provide our best protection and inspired our people to rebuild, even as we now sit within the range of Russian artillery.
I am committed to even deeper democratic reforms. When domestic political protests emerged in April, my government pursued a policy of openness and restraint. We allowed protesters to illegally block the main avenue in Tbilisi for three months and then invited opposition leaders to begin a dialogue over reforms in our constitution, the handling of elections, the media and the judiciary.
Last month I committed to specific reforms with firm deadlines, including the direct election of mayors next May; a new electoral code and a consensus chair for our Central Election Commission; less power for the president and more for parliament; stronger sanctions against officials trying to influence judges; and a public television broadcasting board with equal representation of the governing and opposition parties.
All along, we have been grateful for the international response to Russia\'s invasion. More than £2.5bn was pledged to help us repair war damage and care for internally displaced Georgians. Foreign investment is flowing again, including from Britain. The international community has condemned Russia\'s serial violations of the ceasefire. In Moscow last month, President Obama firmly defended our territorial integrity and Nato aspirations. David Miliband reiterated this view last week.
The occupation of our territories threatens all free nations that believe international borders must not be changed by force. If we do not stand up to tactics such as cross-border aggression, creating "frozen conflicts" that destabilise sovereign states or attempt to legalise ethnic cleansing, or cutting off energy supplies for political gain, none of us will enjoy lasting stability.
That is why we are responding in ways that mirror the steps that helped peacefully end the cold war.
We have called for other countries to insist on Georgia\'s territorial integrity and not to recognise the occupied territories, and we are particularly grateful for the support we have had from politicians from all parties in Britain. Gordon Brown and David Cameron have been consistent in their support, and I was delighted to welcome Glenys Kinnock to Tbilisi on her first major overseas visit as Europe minister.
We do not seek to retake the territories by force – but we are resolute that we will never forget the rights of the displaced. And in pursuit of a greater good, we continue to build an open democracy and economy.
Twenty years ago, the attraction of a free and prosperous west brought down the Berlin wall. We believe the example of a free and prosperous Georgia ultimately will restore our sovereignty and reverse the wrongs caused by Russia\'s invasion. With the support of our friends in Britain and elsewhere – support for which we are deeply grateful – Georgia will continue to rebound and set an example for the region.
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/[...]gia-saakashvili-russia-ossetia
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