Georgia in the EU? Everything will depend on a single factor... Areshidze is explaining

Caliber.Az interview with Georgian political expert and specialist on Caucasus issues Mamuka Areshidze.

- Mr. Areshidze, what is the reason for the unexpected resignation of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili?

- As I understand, this is the decision of the political council of the party and the leader of the Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili. They are explaining this by saying that the time has come to change the leadership of the executive branch before the elections. This is the official version. The unofficial version says that the political council is dissatisfied with the work of the executive branch. Certain factors are not acceptable to Ivanishvili, for example, poor organizational work, and some elements of a corrupt nature. I believe that Garibashvili’s resignation is the first step towards eliminating all these undesirable nuances.

- Do you want to say that changes in the leadership of Georgia will continue?

- I think yes. It is believed that at least six to eight ministers will leave their posts. In any case, there are certain prerequisites for this.

- Georgian media report that Irakli Kobakhidze will be nominated for the post of prime minister. What is the reason for this choice?

- First, Kobakhidze is the chairman of the Georgian Dream party, and this in itself is very important, especially before the elections. Kobakhidze positions himself as a person who very clearly implements the guidelines and decisions of the party.

Second, he is famous for the fact that he does not have any corruption scandals, which is also very important.

- Can we say that corruption has been eradicated in Georgia?

- There is no country in the world where there is no corruption at all. It exists in the West, which boasts of its anti-corruptionism, and in the USA, and in Switzerland, and in the UK, it all depends on the level of corruption. In Georgia, however, the level of corruption is not very high, but this factor still exists.

- There is an opinion that it was during the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili that the level of corruption in Georgia practically disappeared. Is it so?

- Mikheil Saakashvili indeed at one time made quite a lot of efforts to eradicate corruption in Georgia, he imprisoned many corrupt officials. But then a new form of corruption arose - elitist when some could afford to engage in corruption, but others could not. For example, now we do not have corruption in the police, and patrol officers on the streets do not take money, this was the case during the time of Saakashvili. But this is not an indicator, since some officials allow themselves to engage in corruption schemes.

- What chances does the opposition have?

- It is hard to tell. The fact is that the opposition, despite its large numbers, is so unorganized that it is unlikely that they will be able to defeat the Georgian Dream. It will be possible to make forecasts after several months, after observing the internal situation.

- Relatively recently, Georgia received a candidate status for membership of the European Union. What do you think about the prospects for her membership in this organization?

- I think it depends on geopolitics, and not at all on how Georgia will behave. In particular, everything will depend on the results of the conflict in Ukraine, on how events develop in the Middle East, on significant events in the South Caucasus, on the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement. In a word, everything depends on the international situation and how much this issue is in the interests of the leading actors.

- Georgia recently became a strategic partner of Armenia. Doesn't this step threaten Azerbaijani-Georgian relations?

- If this step was directed against the interests of Azerbaijan, then the neighboring state would react sharply to this. Rather, Baku knows very well that Georgia does not harbor such plans.

- What do you think about the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, about the likelihood of signing a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan?

- It is difficult for me to make an unambiguous forecast due to the unresolved number of important issues. What is clear is that the region needs peace - this is the only right solution.

- And finally. How would you assess relations with Russia against the backdrop of Georgia's rapprochement with the European Union?

- The current Georgian authorities are pursuing a more flexible policy than previous ones. As a result of this, they were able to maintain peace in their territory. So, I regard the policy of the Georgian authorities as thought out.