Georgians can be proud of what they achieved in the recent years

By mid-August Swiss ambassador to Georgia, Guenther Baechler, is leaving Georgia as his mandate is expiring. Ambassador of Switzerland has spent five years in our country, during which there were lots of changes in Georgia. Mr. Baechler assesses years spent in Georgian in an exclusive interview with InterPressNews.

- As we know, Russian occupation forces illegally installed signposts marking the so-called South Ossetian border in the village of Tsitelubani, Gori, and near the village of Orchosani, Akhalgori. What would you say regarding this issue?

- The diplomatic community was informed the day before yesterday by the Georgian Foreign Ministry about the situation. Of course we were not able to visit the sites you mentioned in order to assess the situation properly. However, against the background of improved relations between the RF and Georgia and also with regard to a quite successful Geneva round number 32 a few days ago one would not have expected such a step – at least not without any prior notification. In fact the unilateral measure put local people and in particular farmers into a very difficult situation. There are various mechanisms in order to address such kind of issues: Geneva International Discussions, the crises and response mechanisms (IPRM) at the ABL or the services of Switzerland which representing the Russian interests in Georgia and vice versa.

- From your opinion how should Georgia deal with the conflicts?

- I don’t think Georgia needs any advice from outside. As a diplomat I am in close contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other parts of the Georgian government as well. What I can see is that the government is very much concerned with improving the situation in order to achieve more security and stability within and around Georgia. Against this, Georgian diplomacy works hard to make the Geneva international discussions more successful, to engage constructively with Abkhazia and South-Ossetia. The Co-chairs for the Geneva talks support any initiative that leads to cooperative solutions of problems on the ground; e.g. through organizing experts’ seminars on topics such as cultural heritage, public health and the like.

- How do you assess your five years in Georgia as a Swiss Ambassador?

- Against a 360 degrees assessment I conclude that my mission was extremely interesting, very rewarding, successful, and pleasant, too. The five years passed very fast because I got involved in plenty of activities with a diplomatic, professional, or private character. To mention just a few examples: the Embassy helped to strengthen the business ties between our countries;to facilitated an agreement between the RF and Georgia about the accession of the RF to the World Trade Organization; to actively supportthe improvement of relations with the RF as well as with the territories; to strengthen civil society and to deepen the democratic process in Georgia. Against my academic background I also engaged with great interest in the Tbilisi School of Political Studies, the International School of Economics at TSU, or at various Universities in Tbilisi. In many ways Georgia is not just a “normal” destination for an Ambassador. The relations with people both at the professional as well as the private level were and still are extraordinary. To meet and to talk to colleagues, partners, and friends was always a pleasure. I learnt a lot about what’s important and what not. Definitely, human relations are the backbone of everything here in Georgia; this, I like very much.

- Usually Ambassadors are serving for three or four years, but your case was different. What was the main reason for you to stay on for five years?

- As a rule Swiss diplomats rotate in a rhythm of four years. In my case many things came together for I was asked by headquarter to extend for one more year. One main reason was the Swiss chairmanship in OSCE. Berne thought it would be good to build on continuity and on an Ambassador with local experiences and knowledge of the situation on the ground. Therefore, I was supposed to cooperate closely with the Swiss OSCE Task Force as well as the Special Envoy of the Chairman who visits Georgia almost every month. By the same token I was able to continue with our support for the conflict resolution in the region.

- When you look back: which were the three most interesting themes you had to deal with?

- The first one isthe Parliamentary elections of October 2012; they turned out to be quite historic because of the first democratic change of government. The entire diplomatic community was following the pre-election and election campaigns very closely and we were constantly reporting back to our headquarters. During the elections I was an observer and able to visit quite a few polling stations in different electoral districts; I also witnessed the counting process till late night in one school in Vake. I guess it was a transparent process with really professional staff at all levels. Secondly, the facilitation between Georgia and Russia about the WTO-accession of the RF in 2011 was both extremely interesting and rewarding, too. At that time only few observers believed that will reach an agreement; finally we did it and till today we are actively facilitating the technical aspects for theimplementation of the political agreement. Thirdly, the regular thematic dinners in my residence are of great value for me and my fellow colleagues. In particular the Geneva Co-chairs’ dinners proofed to be extremely interesting and helpful for all participants.

- How do you assess the overall development of Georgia over the last few years – what has changed and what has not changed?

- I think a lot has changed in terms of freedom in the society, in politics, in the media and also in the way people communicate with each other. When I observe young people in the streets, in cafés and restaurants, or at the universities my spontaneous feeling is: I am in an open and free country. At the same time I witness a tremendous amount of deep and comprehensive reforms. The institution building process is also of great importance and really admirable. For all of these developments I would like to congratulate Georgia and the Georgians. What has not changed fundamentally is the socio-economic situation. The majority of the people are suffering under unemployment, very low income, and lack of opportunities to make a better living. I can only support the concern of the Prime Minister who recently expressed his deep concern about the level of poverty in particular in the countryside. Of course there is no easy and short way to change this. Nevertheless, there are strategies and means in place in order to address the complex economic challenges which are also related to external shocks: In the rural areas new agricultural programs and instruments do have positive impact on the local populations which depends heavily on farming. Also, the Association Agreement between Georgia and the EU bears its fruits as we can see from the statistical office. Georgians themselves have to be optimistic and work hard in order to make proper use of the existing and opening windows of opportunities.

- What changes does Georgia need?

- It is important to study the situation in the districts and to draw the right conclusions. Based on a more productive agriculture as well as on increasing incomes of the rural sector the creation of off-farm opportunities is another element that counts: services, production of food items, transport, store houses, marketing, export promotion and import substitution, the introduction of modern technologies and sound local governance are all elements of a comprehensive strategy. Also, a sound banking sector including access to (agricultural) credit is crucial. Georgia is on the right way.

- I learnt that you are going to publish a book today. Can you tell us more about this project; is it your first book?

- It is not my first book. Long ago, when I was still on my academic track I publicized regularly about my research in the field of conflict management, peace research, and climate change and conflict. The idea for a new book emerged three years ago. I started a series of essays on democratization in the daily Georgian newspaper THE MESSENGER. Recently, I thought that I desperately need a gift for my Georgian colleagues and friends who enriched my life so much. Hence, why not a book on Building Democracywhich reflects experiences of democratization processes throughout the world? In ten essays I am addressing various aspects of democratization knowing that I can only deal with very few elements of a huge universe of different dimensions. In order to make it more comprehensive I invited a good friend of mine who is a photographer to complement my writing through images about democratic buildings, town development, and city planning. One of my main concern is that we are about to destroy our historically grown cities to an extent future generations may really suffer.

- How optimistic are you about Georgia’s future?

- Georgia nowadays is a lucky country. The Georgian society can be really proud about its achievements in the recent years: the societal orientation towards Europe, political pluralism, power sharing, free and fair elections, new economic prospects, a destination for tourists, more and more well educated people – these are all extremely important and positive factors for the sound development of a country. There is no reason not to be optimistic. I hope the poor people we just talked about will soon be able to benefit from such developments, too.

- As a private person, what did you enjoy most during your five years in Georgia?

- I made a lot of friends; surprisingly not only in the professional sphere but also among various communities like artists, farmers, village people or mountain guides. I will never forget our excursions to almost all regions of Georgia. E.g., Tusheti for me is a small mountain paradise and just gorgeous. Beyond, I benefited a lot from the rich culture. So, despite a sometimes hectic life I tried to find quiet moments for enjoying dance performances, literature evening, classical music, and in particular Jazz concerts (in Batumi).

- What did you not like?

- Actually, traffic in Tbilisi is quite challenging, although I got used to it and maybe even adopted the wild style to some extent. If so, this will be expensive back home since the Swiss police will certainly fine me. Heavy noise during the night or the pollution of landscape with plastic bags and other types of garbage is also a bit disgusting.

- Will you miss Georgia?

- I will definitely not since I am sure I will be back from time to time for some activities such as the board of directors at ISET etc. My wife Maren is very much engaged in our private project in Kakheti: it is about our support of organic farming, the association Momavlis Mitsa, as well as the village community in Argokhi which is close to KvemoAlvani. So, we both hope that our Georgian friends will be patiently waiting for our return.

- What will you say to your successor?

- He should of course do exactly the same thingsI was doing.

Mari Javakhishvili