Georgia pullout seen as blow to CIS
Georgia pulled out of the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) on Tuesday, with analysts warning the
withdrawal may spark the ouset of the former Soviet bloc`s
collapse.
Hot on the heals of a brief war fought with Russia last August, Georgia`s Foreign Ministry notified the Moscow-dominated bloc in a note that its parliament has passed a decision to quit. The year-long process of withdrawal, required under the CIS by-laws, ended on Tuesday.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister David Jalagania said it would remain party to 75 multilateral agreements formed under the CIS covering among other things visa-free travel and free trade.
The CIS was designed to ease the trauma of separation and promote cooperation on issues such as trade, travel and security between the former Soviet republics.
With the exit of Georgia, the CIS now groups Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Loyalties were already strained when Russia sent forces into Georgia to quash a Georgian assault on the breakaway South Ossetia region, the first time the Kremlin had deployed troops in anger beyond its borders since the fall of the Soviet Union.
But it remains to be seen whether Georgia or CIS will lose and what the Western-leaning South Caucasus republic will gain from this pullout.
Leonid Slutsky, deputy chairman of the international relations committee at the State Duma, Russia`s lower house of parliament, termed Tbilisi`s decision as "hasty." Slutsky believes that the withdrawal will have no consequences for the bloc. However, it could cause some problems for the Georgian people, he added, without elaborating.
Zardusht Alizada, an Azerbaijani analyst, said the Georgian pullout from CIS is "another step to be taken toward the organization`s collapse." He recalled that, when entering CIS, Georgia predicted its becoming a politically, economically and culturally powerful bloc.
"CIS was a bloc of tremendous political importance back in the 1990s," Alizada said. "But now it is remembered for its policy of violence, and this will cause it to collapse in the near future."
The pundit says there is one reason for Georgia`s secession - the occupation of its territories by Russia.
"Russia has occupied Georgia`s territory and stationed military bases there. This means that CIS has already destroyed itself by its own policy," said Alizada.
Sulhaddin Akbar, another political commentator, said Georgia "has already lost everything it could within CIS." He emphasized that Georgia`s losses include Russian military presence on its soil and its political and economic blockade.
"Therefore, Georgia has taken an absolutely right step by pulling out of CIS. Instead of being represented [in the same organization] with an invader, it is more appropriate to withdraw.
"Initially, the establishment of CIS stemmed from attempts to restore the former USSR in accord with the new political situation. But these efforts produced absolutely no result," Akbar said.
According to him, Ukraine is likely to follow suit in the foreseeable future. "The cool-down that has lately emerged between Ukraine and Russia will cause Ukraine to take this step," the analyst predicted.
Hot on the heals of a brief war fought with Russia last August, Georgia`s Foreign Ministry notified the Moscow-dominated bloc in a note that its parliament has passed a decision to quit. The year-long process of withdrawal, required under the CIS by-laws, ended on Tuesday.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister David Jalagania said it would remain party to 75 multilateral agreements formed under the CIS covering among other things visa-free travel and free trade.
The CIS was designed to ease the trauma of separation and promote cooperation on issues such as trade, travel and security between the former Soviet republics.
With the exit of Georgia, the CIS now groups Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
Loyalties were already strained when Russia sent forces into Georgia to quash a Georgian assault on the breakaway South Ossetia region, the first time the Kremlin had deployed troops in anger beyond its borders since the fall of the Soviet Union.
But it remains to be seen whether Georgia or CIS will lose and what the Western-leaning South Caucasus republic will gain from this pullout.
Leonid Slutsky, deputy chairman of the international relations committee at the State Duma, Russia`s lower house of parliament, termed Tbilisi`s decision as "hasty." Slutsky believes that the withdrawal will have no consequences for the bloc. However, it could cause some problems for the Georgian people, he added, without elaborating.
Zardusht Alizada, an Azerbaijani analyst, said the Georgian pullout from CIS is "another step to be taken toward the organization`s collapse." He recalled that, when entering CIS, Georgia predicted its becoming a politically, economically and culturally powerful bloc.
"CIS was a bloc of tremendous political importance back in the 1990s," Alizada said. "But now it is remembered for its policy of violence, and this will cause it to collapse in the near future."
The pundit says there is one reason for Georgia`s secession - the occupation of its territories by Russia.
"Russia has occupied Georgia`s territory and stationed military bases there. This means that CIS has already destroyed itself by its own policy," said Alizada.
Sulhaddin Akbar, another political commentator, said Georgia "has already lost everything it could within CIS." He emphasized that Georgia`s losses include Russian military presence on its soil and its political and economic blockade.
"Therefore, Georgia has taken an absolutely right step by pulling out of CIS. Instead of being represented [in the same organization] with an invader, it is more appropriate to withdraw.
"Initially, the establishment of CIS stemmed from attempts to restore the former USSR in accord with the new political situation. But these efforts produced absolutely no result," Akbar said.
According to him, Ukraine is likely to follow suit in the foreseeable future. "The cool-down that has lately emerged between Ukraine and Russia will cause Ukraine to take this step," the analyst predicted.
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