In Tbilisi, UK Foreign Secretary Hails Close Bilateral Ties, Criticizes Russia’s ‘Unacceptable Behavior’

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said during his visit in Tbilisi on March 30 that Georgia is “regional democratic role model” and this reputation should be safeguarded especially in the view of upcoming parliamentary elections in October; he also called to continue progress in reforms “to enable an environment for free and fair elections.”
 
The British Foreign Secretary reiterated support to Georgia’s territorial integrity and Euro-Atlantic integration. He criticized Russia’s “unacceptable behavior” and said that Moscow’s disregard of rules-based international system is a “threat to all of us.”

Accompanied by the Georgian PM and Energy Minister, the British Foreign Secretary also visited BP operated South Caucasus Pipeline expansion works, which are carried out as part of the Shah Deniz Stage 2 project aimed at bringing gas from Azerbaijan to Europe.

Hammond said that the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline, which currently delivers Azerbaijani gas to Georgia and Turkey, is an “excellent example of the UK’s commitment to Georgia and the region and of its confidence in Georgia and Azerbaijan as commercial partners.”

Speaking at a joint news conference with Georgian PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Hammond said that the UK and Georgia “enjoy a long history of close bilateral relations.”
 
“Georgia has made a significant progress in implementing vigorous program of economic and political reform,” Foreign Secretary Hammond said at the news conference after meeting the Georgian PM. “It is rightly recognized as one of the easiest countries in the world in which to do business and has developed an impressive record on tackling corruption. This record has increased Georgia’s potential as a hub for a new trade and transit corridor between Asia and Europe.”
 
“As elections approach in October, we encourage Georgia to continue to make progress in particular in human rights, judicial reform and the free media to enable an environment for free and fair elections. Georgia has earned an enviable reputation for transparency and for human rights in the region and through its conduct during this election period it needs to safeguard that reputation and build on it for the future,” Hammond said.

He said that the UK continues to support “Georgia’s development of close relations and cooperation with NATO as it makes reforms that will bring it closer to the goal of membership.”

He also said that the UK welcomes Georgia’s progress in achieving the goal of visa liberalisation, which should result in lifting of visa requirements for the Georgian citizens for short-term stay in the Schengen area; the UK is not part of the Schengen area.
 
Asked about conflicts over breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the British Foreign Secretary welcomed, as he put it, the Georgian government’s “twin-track” approach – on the one hand participating in the Geneva International Discussions, launched after the August 2008 war, and on the other trying to directly reach out to people in the breakaway regions. 

“I’d like to pay tribute to the Prime Minister, who I think has tried perhaps slightly a new approach of reaching out rather than seeking to resolve these conflicts in the traditional way – reaching out to the people in the breakaway regions, trying a process of dialogue, the twin-track – the process in Geneva, but also the process of outreach to your fellow countrymen in breakaway regions; this is a good and positive step forward and we look forward to seeing progress as a result of this initiative,” Hammond said.

He said that Russia’s “unacceptable behavior in Ukraine is part of a wider pattern of lack of respect for the rules-based international system and the right of countries like Georgia to make their own independent sovereign choices about their futures.”

Asked if Russia poses a threat to countries such as Georgia and the Baltic states, Hammond said: “Russia ignores the norms of international conduct and breaks the rules of the rules-based international system and that represents a challenge and a threat to all of us.”

“What we all want is for Russia to play a constructive role in the international community. Russia has significant influence and it has significant power. It also shares many of our concerns; it shares our concern about Islamist terrorism. I have no doubt that Russia is sincere in its desire to defeat Daesh [Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group] in Iraq and Syria, but we need to work together on these things and we can only work in partnership with countries, which accept the international rules… We can’t be working in partnership with a country one day and find it is doing just exactly whatever it wants in flagrant breach of international norms and rules the next day. There has to be a way forward that respects the rules of the international system if we are going to be able to do business together,” Hammond said.

Responding to the same question about Russia, PM Kvirikashvili said that as long as Russia continues occupation of Georgian territories “of course it will be a serious security challenge for Georgia.”

PM Kvirikashvili also said that Georgia is not interested in tensions in the region; he said Georgia aims at staying “consistent” on its path towards NATO and the EU integration and to have a security to allow attract foreign investments.
 
Addressing Young Politicians Forum in Tbilisi with participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine, the British Foreign Secretary said that “past and present conflicts continue to hinder regional integration and development” in the South Caucasus.

“Standing here in Tbilisi I am also all too aware that villages remain divided from their lands and pastures and from each other on either side of the administrative boundary line [with breakaway South Ossetia] just 40 kilometer away with new fences going up all the time. Ironic that I should be saying this at the time when of course, sadly, across Europe new fences are going up as well – but the erection of new fences and barriers take the region, and will take any region, backwards at the time when we should be trying to bring down barriers between countries,” Hammond said.

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