Georgia. Save the Monument to the Unknown Soldier

On the eve of the most important Russian-American meeting, where issues related to Ukraine and Georgia will be discussed, PolitNavigator asked several questions to the famous Georgian political scientist and public figure, director of the Eurasian Institute Gulbaat Rtskhiladze.

He talked about why the population of Georgia supports the restoration of relations with Moscow, but does not believe the pro-Russian parties that call themselves. Moreover, none of these parties risk going to demonstrations on Victory Day, the memory of which the Americans are trying to erase. This year, the real test will be the situation surrounding the protection of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in Tbilisi.

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"PolitNavigator": Let's start with the main issue of geopolitics from the Russian point of view - Moscow demanded that the path to NATO be closed for Ukraine and Georgia. Do you think the West will meet Russia’s generally fair demands?

Gulbaat Rtskhiladze: The West will try to gain time and prolong the process; there will be no simple and unambiguous answer to all points of Russian demands or proposals (whatever you want). The United States is not ready to change its aggressive policy, using NATO against Russia, but problems in the European Union, and in the United States itself, are forcing Washington to take more seriously what President Vladimir Putin tells them. Although in general, of course, the West and especially the United States do not want to change their hostile attitude towards Russia, which they consider their main geopolitical adversary.

Georgia, along with Ukraine, is a very important link in the chain of American strategy. Georgia is the only country in Transcaucasia that is completely loyal to Washington. The value of Georgia for the United States is increasing against the backdrop of Washington's uneven relations with Turkish leader Erdogan and the appearance of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh; if Georgia stops being a pro-American country and adjusts its foreign policy, the Americans will lose influence throughout the Caucasus region and in the eastern Black Sea.

Three decades have passed and the confrontation between Georgia and Russia continues. Georgia lost incomparably more from the confrontation: it split into three parts, lost its traditional market for goods, fell out of a single economic and cultural space... Did Georgian society really not have the resource to finally draw the right conclusions and turn its face to its powerful northern neighbor?

When Georgians turn their faces towards Moscow, Moscow should notice it. The peak of pro-Russian sentiments in Georgia was in the mid-2010s, but since the political establishment, the entire power and bureaucratic structure consists of people who passed through the American or European Union political “filter,” these sentiments of the people were not taken into account in politics. On the contrary, the same pro-Western media continue to convince the public that we all support the course of the country’s leadership (regardless of who is in power) aimed at integrating Georgia into NATO and the EU. Russia is presented as an enemy, which is constantly branded with the word “occupier”.

The incessant Russophobic state propaganda and the passivity of Russia inside Georgia, the lack of its “soft power” are doing their job - the sentiments of Georgians, according to which it is necessary to regulate relations and even be friends with Russia, do not become politically relevant, no one is trying to implement the social order of the people, and these moods remain a passive wish, about which it is not customary to speak loudly.

Is there a political force in Georgia capable of leading the population along the path of changing the domestic and foreign policies that are harmful for a small country? Doesn’t anyone see any political benefit in using the sentiments you mentioned among the masses?

I personally don’t see such an authoritative force, or rather, a formed political party. There are, of course, individual political parties and politicians who advocate rapprochement with Russia, but the people do not trust them, do not believe that these parties will be able to make a breakthrough and will not give up their promises, including regarding a settlement with Russia.

Why this happens is a topic for another discussion; Of course, these parties themselves are to blame, first of all, for bringing the people to extreme nihilism and apathy. People a priori do not trust political parties, so the administrative resource (that is, the ruling Georgian Dream party) always wins, and the main opposition party remains the destructive “National Movement” with its loyal, sometimes fanatical supporters.

Alternative parties simply do not attract voters, almost half of whom have stopped voting. This is beneficial to the Americans, Europeans, and all opponents of Russia.

If the Georgian people had become more active and come to the elections in an organized manner, voting for alternative political forces, a change in foreign policy priorities would have occurred quite quickly.

Recently, a political force called “Conservatives” appeared in Georgia, openly declaring that it was necessary to restore the military-political alliance with the Russian Federation. “Conservatives” also declared the advisability of placing Russian military bases on Georgian territory. What is the basis for such outspoken statements in Georgian society, and will forces like the Conservatives be able to change the political landscape in the country?

One party more, one party less – it doesn’t matter. As I already told you, people categorically do not trust political parties, including the so-called “pro-Russian” ones. The main reason is the constant lies and deception of the people by parties and politicians. Now making statements alone, even such clear ones about Russian military bases (by the way, I, as a political scientist, have often put forward such proposals over the past two decades) will not yield anything; chatter alone will not inspire the people.

_{People want to see things happen, they need to be convinced that some party has not only good ideas, but also enough strength and integrity to implement these same ideas and not betray them!}

So, before founding a party, you need to go to the people, prove in some way that you are active, real, worthy of trust; that you are the one you can follow without regard to the notorious administrative resource...

To do this, you need to have both political “brains” and material resources at the same time - without this there is no way. Otherwise, I myself would have founded a political party long ago. Why do you think I haven't done this until now? Yes, because there are no material resources, and our so-called businessmen will not shell out a penny for a good cause, they will only look back at the authorities.

On May 9, 2019, under your leadership, the “Immortal Army of Georgia” procession was organized in Tbilisi. Together with the United Communist Party, you held a bright event dedicated to the Great Victory. Then the head of the communists, Temur Pipia, was detained along with a copy of the Victory flag. One of the main demands of the march was the restoration of diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation. This was the last (before the pandemic), but far from the first bright action, widely covered by the media. What is the prospect of social forces friendly to Russia, and are you and your comrades noticed in Russia?  

To be honest, it doesn’t matter to me for a long time whether I am “noticed” somewhere or not, although, rather, they notice me, I am well known in Moscow diplomatic circles that deal with Caucasian issues. They also know the Temur Pipiya you mentioned - a man of principle, faithful to the ideology and ideals of friendship between peoples.

Indeed, Pipia and his party, his entire Tbilisi activist, joined the march of the “Immortal Regiment”, organized together with my like-minded people in 2019. We made a lot of noise without even realizing it. We had no demands on Victory Day, although everyone knew and knows that our demands for the restoration of diplomatic relations with Russia and dialogue with Moscow are in force. This, first of all, is necessary for Georgia itself.

So we held this procession, but, unfortunately, Pipia could not reach the end - to the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, where we met, by the way, with Russian diplomats and congratulated each other on Victory Day. Pipiya could not make it, because he was detained by the police because he had a copy of the Victory Banner in his hands, and our anti-Russian law prohibits Soviet and communist symbols, including the Victory Banner.

_{I emphasize that this ban has an anti-Russian meaning - the history of the common Victory should be erased from the memory of younger generations and even criminalized.}

By the way, the president of the country and the mayor of the capital want to rename the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, thereby erasing the memory of the Great Patriotic War...

Unfortunately, in 2019, no other political party joined our march. They probably thought that there was no need to be associated with the “Soviet victory” and with the Russian “Immortal Regiment” movement (although our organization is not associated with the Russian “Immortal Regiment”).

You see, we here in the “Immortal Army of Georgia” movement have gathered not exactly patriots of Georgia, but they, it turns out, are patriots; we are “pro-Russian”, and they are “pro-Georgian”... Do you understand what I mean?

_{So, I urge all thinking leaders in Moscow: consider the attitude of one or another Georgian political party to Victory Day as a test of loyalty to the ideals of friendship between Georgia and Russia! If anyone does not consider it necessary or possible to participate in the festive events on May 9, avoids the symbols of Victory, and fears being accused of being “pro-Russian” by destructive forces, then he is neither a friend of Georgia nor an ally of Russia!}

This year I want to test the country’s political spectrum myself and call on all sane representatives of this spectrum to take part in the “Immortal Army of Georgia” action, which will pursue one goal - to protect the monument (grave) of the Unknown Soldier from ideological attacks.

We must join forces and demand from the mayor's office leave this holy place alone and don’t rename it it into a more “neutral”, “non-Soviet” name.

I personally will not consider those who refuse to support this demand to be a patriot of Georgia and a supporter of good relations with Russia!