“Georgia had better fear Turkey’s territorial claims”

“Georgia had better fear Turkey’s territorial claims”

After Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, Georgians began to remember the Karsi Deal and it has become a point of hot discussions since then. Experts actively cast light on some threats we could face in the future.

What can the Karsi Deal bring to us and why did this issue reemerge recently? Former deputy Aleko Shalamberidze answered these questions for us,”- reports the Akhali Taoba newspaper.

“The Karsi Deal sparked countrywide discussions as early as in 1992, when the Turkey - Georgia agreement was sewn up. As the agreement between the two states says, under the Kharsi Deal, borders between the two states are established. This is the only context in which the Karsi deal is mentioned in the agreement.

A massive public backlash was triggered in Georgia after Ukraine was thrown into disarray and Russia annexed Crimea. Personally I see nothing worth kicking up a fuss about today; I studied this issue thoroughly and I can say for certain that we’d better get a grip and not panic,” - states Aleko Shalamberidze.

Still, we should keep in mind that Russia and Turkey are allies, have amicable relations and this can create additional problems for us.

NATO membership does not in any way hinder Turkey from having amicable relations with Russia. We’d better follow the Turkish authorities’ lead and avoid being radically pro-Russian or pro-European. We’d better forget these labels once and for all.

By the way, how could we have focused all our attention on Russia and deflected our gaze from Iran that also has its interests in the region?

Unfortunately, today, when tensions are running high and the situation across the world is immensely turbulent, Georgia is ruled by a man with no political savvy or experience,”- announces Mr. Shalamberidze.

One fine day, Turkey may pose danger for us. We must bear in mind that our most dangerous foes are our own neighbors. How can we be at ease when we have not even established borders with Turkey? The same can be said regarding Armenia and Azerbaijan and, obviously, regarding Russia as well,”- concludes the respondent.