Georgia, festa dell’indipendenza e proteste anti-Saakashvili

Attivista georgiano mascherato in una manifestazione anti-Saakashvili

Proprio nel giorno in cui ricorre l’anniversario dell’indipendenza della Georgia dall’ex-Unione Sovietica, l’opposizione georgiana ha riempito lo stadio nazionale di Tbilisi per dire al presidente Saakashvili che è ora di dimettersi.

Una manifestazione organizzata da 14 partiti, al cui appello hanno risposto circa 100mila georgiani, guidati da Nino Burdjanadze, un tempo alleata di Saakashvili e ora in prima linea a rinfacciargli una gestione autoritaria del potere e un conflitto disastroso contro Mosca.

Il governo ha cancellato una parata militare nella capitale, per prevenire il rischio di disordini. Saakashvili ha celebrato l’anniversario dell’indipendenza inaugurando un cimitero per i militari uccisi durante la guerra dello scorso agosto con la Russia.

Oltre a ricordare il sacrificio dei militari caduti, il capo dello stato ha riaffermato la necessità di tenere alta la guardia per difendere l’indipendenza da nemici esterni, in quella che suona come una chiara allusione a Mosca, e al tempo stesso per garantire alla Georgia un futuro di prosperità.

Nella realtà, il Paese vive uno stallo politico che paralizza le riforme e minaccia le prospettive economiche. Stati Uniti e Unione Europea chiedono a governo e opposizione di aprire un confronto per superare la crisi.

Siamo in Georgia

La Nato si porta l’Italia in Georgia.

Georgia: l’opposizione in piazza a Tblisi chiede le dimissioni di Saakashvili

Ancora forti tensioni in Georgia per la politica del Presidente Saakashvili considerato senza rapporti con la Russia da parte dell’opposizione. Tre giorni fa in piazza c’erano 60 mila persone.

Russia, festival canoro dell’Eurovisione rovente di polemiche

Questa canzone del gruppo georgiano Stephane & 3G si intitola we don’t wanna put in. I russi, che quest’anno organizzano il festival canoro dell’Eurovisione, non hanno gradito il riferimento al loro premier (put in / Putin) e hanno protestato, perché, nel regolamento, si vieta, tra l’altro, ogni contenuto politico e commerciale. Il titolo del testo è, infatti, ambiguo: “we don’t wanna put in” significa “non vogliamo intrometterci”, ma anche “non vogliamo mandare al potere”, oltre al fatto più evidente che può suonare come “non vogliamo Putin”, che di fatto è al potere. L’Eurovisione ha chiesto al produttore georgiano Gia Chanturia di modificare il testo ma lui ha detto di no, preferendo ritirare il gruppo.

Anche la televisione pubblica georgiana ritiene che non sia necessario cambiare le parole e, nonostante l’importanza del concorso, il gruppo Stephane & 3G non andrà a Mosca.

C‘è da ricordare il contesto: le ferite aperte dalla guerra dell’agosto scorso per le regioni separatiste di Abkhazia e Ossezia del sud.

Ma i problemi dei russi con il festival non si fermano qui. Per rappresentarli, quest’anno, è stata selezionata Anastassia Prikhodko, vincitrice di un popolare concorso canoro locale. La questione è che la cantante è ucraina e il testo della canzone è parte in russo e parte in ucraino. Gi organizzatori sono stati inondati di proteste. Anche qui c‘è da ricordare che i rapporti fra i due Paesi, si veda la guerra del gas, non sono dei migliori. Non si sa se Ansastassia alla fine salirà sul palco dell’Eurovisione o meno. La risposta il 16 maggio.

EU & its Eastern Neighbours

URM- MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA

2008-09-08   |   LITHUANIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: IT IS TIME TO MAKE ESSENTIAL DECISIONS REGARDING RELATIONS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION’S EASTERN NEIGHBOURS

On 6 September at the Informal Meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Gymnich) in Avignon, France, Minister of Foreign Affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas emphasised the necessity to implement energy projects and to heed more of the EU’s attention to its Eastern neighbours.   Today discussions on the EU-Russia relations, support to Georgia and strengthening of the EU relations with its Eastern neighbours were placed on the agenda of the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs.    ‘On Monday, the European Council made many important decisions, which now we have to implement promptly,’ said Minister P.Vaitiekūnas. Head of Lithuanian diplomacy indicated that currently it was especially important to implement energy projects that are strengthening the energy independence of the EU. The Minister also stressed the importance of the EU’s internal electricity and gas links. In this context, P.Vaitiekūnas reminded of problems regarding the closure of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant.   While speaking about the EU relations with its Eastern neighbours, the Minister highlighted the necessity to make all the necessary decisions to strengthen the EU relations with Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Belarus. According to Foreign Minister, it was necessary to take the perspective of Ukraine’s membership seriously, to enhance EU relations with Moldova qualitatively and freshly estimate relations with Belarus. While speaking about Ukraine, the Minister spoke up for providing a perspective of a visa-free regime for this country.   While speaking about Georgia, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs invited to implement the decisions that were made at the European Council to urgently launch a Donor conference and to send a European Security and Defence Policy mission to Georgia as soon as possible. P.Vaitiekūnas offered to organise the Donor conference in Tbilisi and not later than by the middle of October. ‘The European Union has to discuss the offered autonomies for Abkhazia and North Ossetia within Georgia,’ said Minister. ‘Besides, we have to make political decisions regarding a facilitated visa regime and deepening of free trade agreements with Georgia’, indicated P.Vaitiekūnas. According to the Minister, various technical obstacles should not impact the solution of these issues. Head of Lithuanian diplomacy called the decision to postpone negotiations on strategic partnership with Russia righteous and invited to analyse the EU-Russia relations at length. ‘We cannot speak about the future of the relations until we fully comprehend the nature of there relations today,’ stressed P.Vaitiekūnas.

Cold War? Warm Norway!

Energy-hungry Europe warms to Norway

By Paul Henley BBC News, Stavanger, Norway Amid frantic newspaper headlines about the possibility of a new Cold War, more and more governments around Europe are talking about their need for “energy security”. What most of them actually mean is that they are not sure whether or not to trust the Russians. Norway remains one of only two major fossil fuel exporters in Europe There are only two big exporters of fossil fuels in Europe: Russia and Norway, so the choice – for countries without energy reserves of their own or fast depleting them – is limited. And, undiplomatic as it is to admit it, the Norwegians stand to do very well out of the current politicial situation. Officially, a healthy and productive competition exists between the two countries who share a border well above the Arctic Circle. “We are also partners,” says Norway’s Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, “because both Russia and Norway have an interest in the development of the European oil and gas market. “And we welcome them into the market, because the market will be bigger if there are several suppliers.” Mr Stoltenberg was speaking at the opening of an international conference about offshore energy in Stavanger, southern Norway. Transparency And, alongside the reassurances to his Russian neighbours, he did hint at his country’s trump card, when asked why the rest of Europe should take Norway as its energy supplier of choice. Norway offers a reliable energy supply and a stable democracy “We are a reliable supplier. And we have proved that over many years. And we have a very transparent, open energy sector.” The head of the conference, ONS Director Kjell Ursin-Smith, was prepared to go even further. “The situation is very interesting for Norway, of course. We are looked upon as a stable nation, whereas Russia still has a tainted reputation in that respect. So I think we will try to prove that we are a stable producer of oil and gas for Europe.” The proof of the UK’s commitment to Norway as a gas provider of the future is a massive new pipeline – the biggest engineering project of its kind in the world – known as Ormen Lange. The pipeline, whose name means “giant serpent” in old Norse will stretch from the Norwegian North Sea fields to Easington on the East Yorkshire coast. Further afield Some 745 miles of steel tubing have been painstaking laid up and down the canyons of the seabed, designed to deliver about 20% of the UK’s domestic gas needs for the next 50 years. It came on stream late last year. The Ukraine issue sent a shiver down the European energy spine and Georgia is a recent episode which will focus a lot of minds. Malcolm Wicks, UK energy minister The days when Britain could rely on its own reserves to be self-sufficient in oil and gas are long gone – with a current annual depletion rate of about 8% a year – so there is no choice but to look abroad. Britain has always made a virtue of its lack of political interference in the energy market, preferring to make deciding on a supplier a matter of pure economics and stress the need for “diversity of supply”. But things might be changing. “We’re aware of what’s going on now”, says the UK Energy Minister, Malcolm Wicks. He still stresses the need to source from more than one country, more than one route. High stakes But, he adds, referring to the incident in 2006 when Russia turned off gas supplies to its neighbour in order to force higher prices: “The Ukraine issue sent a shiver down the European energy spine and Georgia is a recent episode which will focus a lot of minds. “I think we have to be – how can I put it? – streetwise, when it comes to issues around energy security. Norway is a great partner to have. It’s a very sophisticated democracy with a great record when it comes to human rights. So the new pipeline is a good piece of democratic politics.” The proportion of its energy western Europe has to import is likely to rise to about 70% in the coming decades, so the market is guaranteed and the stakes are high. It remains to be seen whether the big two suppliers – Norway and Russia – will clash or co-operate when it comes to developing what is a potential El Dorado of the North – vast swathes of Arctic territory, largely in the Barents Sea, which new technology is opening up to oil and gas exploitation for the first time. The disputes have already begun as to who owns what territory. Vast amounts of money are to be made. Norway has known great wealth for nearly 40 years now, mostly thanks to its fossil fuel resources. Russia, with an average per capita income still about a tenth the size of that of its tiny Scandinavian neighbour, has not. And in these days of ‘new’ Russia rediscovering its confidence, reasserting its power in the world, observers of geo-politics can almost certainly expect fireworks.

Georgia between Russia and the US

The Return of Russia
by Serge Halimi

mrzine monthlyreview , 28/08/2008

On the 16th of August, President George W. Bush correctly invoked, with all seriousness, the “resolutions” of the “United Nations Security Council” and the “sovereignty and independence and territorial integrity” of Georgia whose “borders should command the same respect as every other nation’s.”  It follows that only the United States must have the right to act unilaterally when it perceives (or pretends) that its security is at stake.  In reality, this series of events follows a simpler logic: Washington uses Georgia (and vice versa) to work against Russia;  Moscow uses not only South Ossetia but also Abkhazia to “punish” Georgia.

Since 1992, two reports of the Pentagon have explored the question of how to prevent a possible resurgence of the then crumbling Russian power.  These reports indicated that, to perpetuate the American hegemony born of the victory of the United States in the Gulf War and the breakup of the Soviet bloc, it was important to “[convince] potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role.”   And, failing to convince them, Washington must “discourage” them.  The main target of these considerations?  Russia, “the only power in the world with the capability of destroying the United States.”²

Can we then blame the Russian leadership for having experienced Western assistance to the “color revolutions” in Ukraine and Georgia, former Warsaw Pact allies’ membership in the NATO, and the installation of American missiles on Polish soil as elements of the old strategy aimed to weaken their country, whatever its regime?  Besides, Mr. Bernard Kouchner, French Foreign Minister, admitted as much: “Russia has become a great power, which is worrisome.”³

The architect in 1980 of the very dangerous Afghan strategy of Washington (giving military support to Islamists to defeat communists. . .), Mr. Zbigniew Brzezinski has spelled out another aspect of the American design: “Georgia is of strategic importance because we have access through Georgia, through a pipeline that runs from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, through Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, down to Turkey, and to the Mediterranean Ocean, a pipeline which gives us access to the oil, and soon also the gas, that lies not only in Azerbaijan, but beyond it in the Caspian Sea, and beyond it in Central Asia.  So, in that sense, it’s a major and very important strategic asset to us.”⁴  Mr. Brzezinski cannot be accused of inconstancy: even when Russia was at its nadir in the era of Boris Yeltsin, he was trying to chase it out the Caucasus and Central Asia to secure energy supply for the West.⁵  Since then, Russia has fared better, the United States worse, and oil is now more expensive.  A victim of its own president’s provocations, Georgia is being buffeted by the clash of these three dynamics.

 

2  Cf. Paul-Marie de La Gorce, “Washington et la maîtrise du monde,” Le Monde diplomatique, April 1992.

3  Interview, Journal du dimanche, Paris, 17 August 2008.

4  Bloomberg Television, 12 August 2008.

5  Zbigniew Brzezinski, Le Grand Echiquier, Paris: Bayard, 1997.

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Serge Halimi is a French journalist of Tunisian origin.  He has written for Le Monde diplomatique since 1992 and served as the magazine’s editorial director since March 2008.  The original article “Retour russe” appears in the September 2008 issue of Le Monde diplomatique.  English translation by Yoshie Furuhashi.

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Ossezia e Abkhazia

 

Mosca punta a un asse con la Cina

Panorama, 27/08/2008

Per superare l’isolamento diplomatico Mosca cerca un primo sostegno internazionale al suo riconoscimento dell’Ossezia del sud e dell’Abkhazia al vertice, in programma tra oggi e domani a Dushambé, in Tagikistan, dello Sco, l’organizzazione per la cooperazione di Shangai che raggruppa Russia, Cina ed ex repubbliche sovietiche centroasiatiche come Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kirzichistan e Tagikistan. Lo prevedono alcuni media russi, tra cui il quotidiano in inglese Moscow Times che cita una fonte del ministero degli esteri russo: “Mi auguro che lo Sco firmerà una dichiarazione che esprima inequivocabilmente un sostegno alla posizione russa nel conflitto con Tbilisi, condannando la violenza e apprezzando il ruolo della Russia nel mediare le ostilità”. Una bozza di dichiarazione è attualmente sul tavolo degli esperti. Se dovesse incassare il sì dello Sco, di cui Mosca dovrebbe assumere la presidenza di turno, si tratterebbe del sostegno più forte ricevuto finora da Mosca, dopo quelli isolati – e interessati – di Minsk e Damasco.

“Forcing Azerbaijan to peace” by Armenia and Russia

Russia may pass from verbal support of Armenia to definite pressure on Azerbaijan

Day.Az, All News From Azerbaijan

August of 2008 may enter the history of Azerbaijan as a period of determination of the country’s fate, as there is a real threat to its territorial integrity.

Armenia, which occupied Azerbaijani lands under Russia’s support, has passed to an active pressure on the country in the negotiation process on the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.This pressure is put again under support of Russia, which, by its occupation of Georgia and open support of separatism, openly demonstrated to Armenians whose side it will take in the Karabakh conflict. In fact, Armenia and Russia are now forcing Azerbaijan to peace, which is profitable for Armenia and Russia, but which is a disgrace for Azerbaijan and dangerous for the further territorial integrity of the country.After Russia openly occupied Georgia, the bellicose and self-confident statements from Armenian side have become more frequent. Notably, that they are voiced by either representatives of Armenian powers or Armenian opposition.Thus, the first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan also openly demonstrated readiness to bow and scrape before Russia. According to him, no one can challenge the fact that “by its decisive interference Russia has rescued the South Ossetian people from genocide”. Naturally, he said nothing of the genocide of Georgians, which is currently continued by Russian troops, Kazak volunteers and Ossetians. This can be understood, as nothing more is expected from a politician, who was leading Armenia in the years, when Russia helped it to occupy Nagorno Karabakh, when the genocide of Azerbaijanis in Khojaly was committed. It is clear that Ter-Petrosyan, who decided to throw off the mask of a pro-western politician, openly flirted with the Kremlin for his political future. He seems to consider that he will not need this mask again and that the future of Armenia and the entire South Caucasus is in the hands of those, who will bow lower before Russia.The same opinion is also supported by working Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. He said “the tragic events in South Ossetia proved that such conflicts should be settled on the basis of people’s free will. Otherwise, we will inevitably witness ethnic separatism and violation of the norms of international humanitarian law”.The subtext of this declaration is clear: “Azerbaijan and the world society should recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh, otherwise, Russia will enter its troops and force Azerbaijan to peace”. This is a hidden threat not only to our country but also to the established world order. It is not by accident that this declaration was voiced by a person, who personally took part in the Karabakh war and fired at peaceful Azerbaijani civilians! After this announcement of Sargsyan and the overall open pro-Russian moods among the political establishment of Armenia, Azerbaijani diplomacy has a good chance to put the equality sign between the Armenian politicians, who rule Armenia, owing to Russia’s armed aggression against Azerbaijan and Mr Kokoyti and Baqapsh, who were appointed as leaders of unrecognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia by the Kremlin. But the most important is that Azerbaijan should clearly understand that Russia may pass from verbal support of Armenia to definite pressure on the country. The declaration of CSTO secretary general Nikolai Bordjuzha, who confirmed that in case of a threat to one of the member-states, the fourth article of the contract will be executed, is one of the components of pressure on Azerbaijan by Russia. Certainly, most will remain unhidden. For example, direct or indirect threats from Russian side to the BTC pipeline in a form of bombs, which can be dropped by Russian pilots “by accident”, are possible. The talks about the US failure to secure Georgia from Russian military aggression are possible during the meeting between the leaderships of Russia and Azerbaijan, which means that we should draw conclusions and agree to recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh. Otherwise, Russian tanks may immediately be directed to Baku, like in case with Tbilisi. In other words, they will “force Azerbaijan to peace” diplomatically. The only way out is Azerbaijan’s soonest integration with NATO. The only force, which can resist growing appetites of the Kremlin is NATO. Any delay in this issue equals to death.

RUSSIA AUTOREFERENZIALE

FARE ”INFORMAZIONE” SECONDO L’ITAR-TASS

 

 

(ITAR-TASS,sede centrale di Mosca) 

La ITAR-TASS è l’agenzia di stampa ufficiale russa, nata nel 1925 con il nome TASS, acronimo di Telegrafnoe Agentstvo Sovetskogo Sojuza (Agenzia Telegrafica dell’Unione Sovietica).A seguito della dissoluzione dell’URSS, nel 1992 un decreto presidenziale firmato da Boris Yeltsin ridefinì lo status dell’agenzia e modificò il suo nome, aggiungendo al russo TASS l’inglese-internazionale ITAR, Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. Nel 1994, il Governo Russo adottò una risoluzione “su approvazione dello Statuto dell’Agenzia Telegrafica d’Informazione della Russia”, per la quale essa avrebbe operato come agenzia di stampa del governo centrale.

Bisogna proprio dire che i russi hanno preso alla lettera la definizione di ITAR e rimangono saldamente, stacanovisticamente  fedeli alla risoluzione adottata dal loro governo nel ’94.

 

A tutti i “RUSSOFILI” del mondo consiglio di visitare il sito ufficiale di quest’importante agenzia … internazionale (!?). Troveranno notizie sulla Russia e …… BASTA! In quantità industriali!

 

L’ITAR-TASS stessa afferma di produrre almeno 700 pagine di giornale al giorno, di avere più di 70 uffici in Russia e negli altri paesi del CIS e oltre 60 all’estero. Pensate: tutti a parlare (bene!) della Russia.

 

Quindi non è che ci sono solo notizie dall’interno, in cui la Russia e il suo governo si auto elogiano, ma anche notizie sulla guerra con la Georgia, ovviamente, dove si può leggere –e non solo tra le righe- come quest’ultima abbia OSATO ribellarsi (!), rifiutare gli AIUTI UMANITARI dei russi, dichiarare la secessione dal CIS, ecc ecc  …..

Mannaggia ‘sti georgiani sono terribili!!! Povera Madre Russia!

 

Ma la vera chicca sono le NOTIZIE DAL RESTO DEL MONDO, il quale non ha altro da fare che avere rapporti con la Russia, andare in Russia, allearsi con la Russia, attaccare la Russia, parlare de/con la Russia, amare la Russia, odiare la Russia ………..uff ……….

 

Mania di persecuzione o di protagonismo? Mumble mumble …rifletto…, e non voglio aggiungere altro al momento, perché non voglio rivelare troppo e togliere il gusto della ricerca a quanti vorranno visitare e leggere le pagine dell’ ITAR-TASS.

 

Ah …. Poiché è un’ agenzia internazionale (!?), per chi non conoscesse il russo, c’è la versione in inglese, naturalmente.

 

                                                                                                                                             BUONA LETTURA!