Moscow is never happy to see a US secretary of state lounging about in what it considers to be its backyard; in other words, Georgia. Routine expressions of support for Georgia’s territorial integrity, democratic and NATO aspirations are one thing. But don't get talkin' about those "provocative" identification papers for residents of breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The documents are meant to provide an international travel option to residents of the two regions -- their independence from Georgia still largely unrecognized -- without specifying their citizenship status. They also, though, are intended to encourage separatist Abkhaz and South Ossetians to come back to Tbilisi's still-waiting embrace.
Granted, the Abkhaz and South Ossetians are not exactly lining up for the Georgian-made documents and a hefty dose of skepticism persists about the prospects for reconciliation-through-IDs. But, still, securing Hillary Rodham Clinton’s public support for the documents was one tangible bonus for Tbilisi from her June 4-5 visit to Georgia.
Clinton, who laughed hard when given a token Georgian passport, described the IDs as a “strong step toward reconciliation.”
Nonetheless, despite the IDs' less-than-certain chances for success, Moscow’s thin-skinned reactions suggested that the documents' existence do at least exert a certain psychological influence on the Kremlin.
Moscow, the chief lobbyist for international acceptance of Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s independence, had been quite happy for years to provide both regions with Russian passports for international travel -- even while, before 2008, still recognizing them as part of Georgia.
Now styled as the breakaways' best buddy, Russia charged that the Georgian-issued documents could undermine peace talks in Geneva between Moscow, Tbilisi and the separatists. The de-facto governments in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which see Russia as their protector, echoed the statements.
Warming to his task, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich complained that the Americans never learn and they keep ignoring Russia.
Earlier on, Moscow claimed that the documents are a trick to fool the Abkhaz and South Ossetians into essentially becoming Georgian citizens.
The IDs may not bring Abkhazia and South Ossetia back into Georgia’s fold, but perhaps what really irked Moscow was that they leave Russia out in the cold.
Giorgi Lomsadze is a journalist based in Tbilisi, and author of Tamada Tales.
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