October 8, 2006


Armenia fears Russian blockade of Georgia

Associated Press has a story on fears that Russia’s blockade of Georgia will affect its land-locked southern neighbour, Armenia. The danger for Armenia was evident as soon as the crisis started, but now more and more media outlets are looking at this associated issue.

Arkady Sarkisian has made his living by shipping containers full of ripe peaches and fish to Russia.

But after Moscow severed all transportation links this past week with Georgia, the main transit country for Armenian goods, Sarkisian has had to pay more to transport his containers by a less direct route.

Armenia’s prime minister, whose country is a close ally of Russia, insists that so far the Caucasus nation hasn’t suffered any financial losses. Sarkisian, though, angrily disagrees.

“And what about me?” he said. “What about dozens like me?”

[…]

Politicians and analysts warn that Russia’s transport and postal blockade may end up economically isolating Armenia, Georgia’s landlocked southern neighbor.

[…]

Russia is the main trading partner for Armenia, where the average monthly salary is equivalent to $90.

Most of Armenia’s goods travel to Russia via Georgia since neighboring Turkey and Azerbaijan have closed their borders in protest of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian territory inside Azerbaijan, which the two countries dispute.

[…]

And the dispute could deal another blow to Armenia if Moscow cuts its natural gas supplies to Georgia, effectively blocking supplies to Armenia. Several Russian politicians already have raised that prospect.

The full story is here.

Posted by Onnik @ 10:55 am. Filed under: Armenia, Georgia, Economy, Energy, Caucasus, Russia, Transport




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  1. Some moderate voices in Russia are now starting to speak out against what is fast becoming a policy of racial hatred initiated from the highest levels in Moscow.

    Echo Mosvky Radio Launches ‘I am Georgian’ Campaign

    Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2006-10-07 18:16:28

    Moscow-based Echo Mosvky radio station called for expressing a protest against growing anti-Georgian campaign in Russia through pinning a badge saying “I am Georgian.”

    “Political standoff between Russia and Georgia has turned into tracking down Georgians living in Russia. They live with us and they should not be blamed if officials, politicians and the Presidents of the two countries hate each other… If you do not want large-scale ethnic cleansing to be launched in Russia… pin this badge before coming out in the street,” a statement posted on the radio station’s web-site reads.

    http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=13820

    “Memorial”: Russia Guilty of Racial Discrimination, Georgia of Irresponsible Policies

    Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2006-10-06 23:50:38

    Russia’s influential human rights group “Memorial” has sharply criticized both Georgian and Russian actions in a recent spy spat, that led to severe crisis in relations of the two countries.

    The group criticized Georgian authorities for “losing the sense of reality, balance of power and capabilities” in publicly exposing alleged Russian spies. It demanded from the Georgian authorities to release to the public a proof of spying charges against Russian officers.

    However, the group stated, Russia’s responce by “placing collective responsibility on Georgian people for the actions of their government that the Russian authorities tend not to like, once again shows full disdain of the Russian authorities to the principles and norms of law. Bans and limitations against the citizens of specific ethnicity - Georgians in this case - is nothing else but racial discrimination.”

    Memorial said the current policies in Russia are not only leading to massive violation of human rights, but “embed animosity into regional international relations for the years to come.”

    http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=13816

    Comment by Onnik — October 8, 2006 @ 1:50 pm

  2. Armenia fears Russia’s blockade of Georgia will lead to its own isolation

    Russia’s decision to impose a transport and postal blockade on Georgia after a bruising spy scandal may result in the economic isolation of its impoverished ally Armenia, politicians and analysts warned.

    Russia is a main trading partner for the small, landlocked Caucasus nation, but most of Armenia’s goods travel to Russia via Georgia, since neighboring Turkey and Azerbaijan have closed their borders in protest at the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

    With Georgia’s transport links with Russia severed, many Armenian businessmen found themselves unable Saturday to ship the season’s fruit and vegetables, as well as grocery products and other goods, to Russia. Such restrictions may deal a painful blow to Armenia, where the average monthly salary is US$90 (ˆ70) a month.

    “A further escalation of Russian-Georgian relations can lead to a complete isolation of Armenia,” Prime Minister Andranik Markarian said earlier this week.

    Russia and Georgia have been locked in a bitter dispute following the arrest last week of four Russian military officers deployed in Georgia on spying charges.

    Despite their release, Russia slapped its small southern neighbor with a range of sanctions, including suspending all air, sea, road, rail and postal links and thus paralyzing trade with economically dependent Georgia. Moscow also has cracked down on Georgian migrants and businesses in Russia.

    Infuriated by Georgia’s actions, several Russian politicians have already raised the prospect of cutting natural gas to Georgia, which would effectively block supplies to Armenia.

    The Armenian ambassador to Georgia, Grach Silvanian, has suggested that Armenia might look for other ways of securing energy supplies to the resource-limited nation of 3.3 million people.

    “In the future we could solve the problem by supplying gas to Armenia not from Russia via Georgia, but directly from Iran,” Silvanian said.

    Some Armenians also worry that the ongoing crackdown against ethnic Georgians living or working illegally in Russia could also spread to the Armenia diaspora.

    “In Russia the anti-Georgian campaign could smoothly be turned into the anti-Armenian one,” said Stepan Grigorian, head of the Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation think tank. The Associated Press

    /The International Herald Tribune/

    URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/31150.html

    Comment by Onnik — October 8, 2006 @ 3:14 pm

  3. “RUSSIA IS ARMENIA’S OUTPOST”

    [07:49 pm] 06 October, 2006

    Because of the tension in the relations of Russia and Georgia Armenian businessman suffer heavy losses. In particular, according to Hrayr Karapetyan, the head of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction, they pay 2500 USD more in order to transport 20 tons of luggages by the Poti port instead of Verin Lars. What does co-chair of the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Committee Vahan Hovhannisyan do in order for the Russians not to ignore the interests of Armenia? Asked this question by “A1+” Hrayr Karapetyan agreed that we must work upon that issue.

    One of the journalists asked to comment on the announcement of leader of the RF Liberal Democratic party Vladimir Zhirinovsky according to which Armenia is the 9th okrug of Russia and its outpost. Member of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Spartak Seyranyan found it difficult to find a politician in Russia who would have time to comment on Zhirinovsky’s statements and said he is not going to do it either. Nevertheless, he wasn’t able to resist the temptation of saying “I would say that Russia is our outpost in the North; now let them comment on my words”.

    As for the information about Hrayr Karapetyan having appropriated 5 million USD, he advised the journalists to turn to the Office of the RA Public Prosecutor and learn whether a criminal case has ever been initiated against him. “It is a fairy tale”, Mr. Karapetyan added.

    http://www.a1plus.am/en/?page=issue&iid=41750

    Comment by Onnik — October 9, 2006 @ 3:48 am

  4. I express my absolute solidarity with the Georgian people.

    After years of independence official Armenia looks pathetic. By now they could have found ways of opening themselves to the rest of the world. Manipulations about a ‘landlocked country’ are the fruit of rotten brains of those serving to the Kremlin.

    Comment by Armine Barseghyan — October 9, 2006 @ 2:48 pm

  5. Global Voices has more on reactions to Russia on the anti-Georgian hysteria currently afflicting the authorities Moscow and reports of persecution of anything Georgian in the country.

    http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2006/10/06/russia-georgia-crisis-continues/

    Comment by Onnik — October 11, 2006 @ 8:52 am

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