"Georgië moet oplossing problemen niet laten afhangen van EU-structuur" (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Georgia cannot "put itself on hold" until the new EU arrangements created by the Lisbon Treaty start working, but needs to flag up the persisting problems with Russia's strong foothold in the two breakaway enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, a senior Georgian official told EUobserver.
"There is a change of administration in Washington and a reset policy towards Russia, a new EU with its new structures which is not yet a mature process - there are some other priorities on the international arena, but still, this conflict didn't disappear. It's still here," Temur Yakobashvili, Georgia's minister for re-integration said while in Brussels earlier this week to promote his government's new strategy of engagement with the rebel regions.
A year and a half ago, Georgia made headlines when Russia engaged in a full-scale military invasion after the Caucasian republic itself invaded South Ossetia. The war ended with a ceasefire brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy i, who was then chairing the rotating EU presidency.
The Russians then pledged to withdraw to the previous positions before the war and scale back their military presence, as well as allow EU monitors to enter the two breakaway republics and diffuse tensions.
But both Abkhazia and South Ossetia subsequently declared independence, which Moscow recognised. Russia also boosted its military presence, established permanent bases and place agents of the FSB, the national intelligence agency, on the border.
Moscow says the withdrawal requirements under the ceasefire agreement are no longer valid since the two became "independent republics" and "invited" Russian troops on their soil.
Georgia's new engagement strategy with the rebels avoids the Russian issue, as well as the subject of the status of the self-proclaimed independent republics, which can be discussed "only in parallel and after repatriation of refugees and the full de-occupation of Georgia," Mr Yakobashvili explained.
"It's not a re-integration strategy, it's an engagement strategy that is part of the re-integration process. What we are trying to do is to deploy the human-centric policy. Issues of health care, for instance. Education, trade, information, confidence building - all these measures will not solve the conflict, but they are important to the people's lives," he said.
While pointing to continued "provocations", "humiliations" and attacks on strategic infrastructure such as high power lines, Mr Yakobashvili stressed that the military option in solving the conflict was off the table.
"We always stated there is no military solution in confrontation with Russia. That was very clear from the beginning. We got there because we had to react to an invasion," he said.
The document itself lays out measures ranging from establishing bus lines crossing the "dividing lines" to renovation of hospitals and schools.
Tbilisi offers Abkhaz and South Ossetian residents access to its health care and social security system and pledges to look at ways to "address specific concerns, including to documents certifying birth, death, marriage, and education." It also sets out perspectives to enable international travel for the largely Russian-passport holding population.
EU structures still unclear
Asked if he was meeting officials in the European Commission or staff working for foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton i, Mr Yakobashvili shrugged his shoulders.
"I have some meetings, actually I don't know now who is who here [in Brussels]. But I am meeting people who are dealing with Georgia," he added.
He also had moderate expectations from the upcoming EU presidencies of Hungary and Poland next year, which are both set to emphasise Europe's Eastern Partnership, the bloc's new policy towards its eastern neighbours.
"It seems to me that the new arrangements don't allow the presidencies the same role that they used to have. We are also waiting to see how it all works," he said. "But we can't put ourselves on hold and do nothing, meanwhile."
Meanwhile, Mr Yakobashvili was happy to have gained the support of the French foreign ministry in holding a conference on the implementation of his government's strategy. The event is expected to take place at the end of June in Paris or Brussels, he said.
Ashton praise
In a press release issued on Wednesday, EU's new foreign policy figure Catherine Ashton said she "took note" of the Georgian strategy and welcomed Tbilisi's commitment to solving the conflict "only through peaceful means and diplomatic efforts."
"The EU welcomes the spirit of the initiative as a constructive step towards easing tensions, building confidence and reaching out to the residents of the Abkhaz and South Ossetian regions," the statement reads.
On the same day, in a speech before the European Parliament, Ms Ashton said the bloc's engagement in Georgia to broker a ceasefire and then deploy EU monitors on the ground was a "benchmark" for how she wanted to see the new diplomatic service work.
The EU's new External Action Service under her authority is set to be up and running by the end of the year.
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