https://arab.news/g8gc2
During a recent vacation in Georgia, it was interesting to see how people perceived the war in Ukraine. It was also interesting to see the war’s impact on their own understanding of how their country should deal with Russia in order to avoid suffering the same fate as Ukraine. Georgia is a small country next to a strong neighbor and every Georgian I met told me a wise policy would be to be on good terms with Russia and not to rely on the West.
Russia controls almost 20 percent of Georgian territory. It rules Abkhazia on the Black Sea and South Ossetia in the north of the country. The border between Russia and Georgia is studded with mountains. Russia wants to keep an eye on its smaller neighbor, especially as it is a candidate country for both the EU and NATO. Moscow wants to make sure that, behind that mountainous area, the West will not push for a government that is antagonistic to the Kremlin.
Last month, the Georgian parliament’s speaker criticized NATO’s response to Georgia’s membership request, which was made in 2008, saying that the country needs more than words, it needs real protection. The impression is that the West uses countries like Ukraine as fodder to undermine Russia, while having no real interest in their well-being.
