Page 8 - Caucasus Outlook 2024

1.0 Political outlook 1.1 Politics - Georgia
In a historic decision on December 14, the European Commission granted candidate status for EU membership to Georgia, ending the turmoil caused by the previous year's decision to deny it. The newfound status comes with nine conditions, addressing long-standing concerns such as political polarisation, judicial reform, and de-oligarchisation. Furthermore, the Commission urged Georgia to align its foreign and security policy more closely with the EU, which is estimated to have dropped from over 60% to 43% in the past two years.
During the past two years, amidst geopolitical shifts, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Georgia has been perceived as moving closer to Moscow with deepening economic ties and resumption of direct flights. The Russian Duma has praised the Georgian government for “not succumbing to anti-Russian hysteria”.
However, this year witnessed heightened tensions, marking one of the deadliest periods since Russia's 2008 invasion, with two Georgian citizens killed by Russian forces at de facto borders with occupied South Ossetia and Abkhazia. There are also concerns over Russia's plan to establish a permanent naval base on the Black Sea shore of Abkhazia to move its fleet from annexed Crimea, which is viewed by Tbilisi as a severe violation of sovereignty.
Also on the Black Sea, Georgia plans to build its own deep-sea port in Anaklia, which is seen as crucial for its economic development and for enhancing its role as a transit country. The port holds strategic importance in the Middle Corridor, linking China to Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus.
One of the two finalists in the Anaklia Deep Sea Port's private partnership selection is a Chinese-Singaporean consortium, along with a Swiss-Luxembourg consortium. The project, a public-private partnership, assigns the state a 51% stake and the private partner 49%. China has emerged as a strategic partner for Georgia, with a strategic partnership announced in July 2023. Chinese citizens can now travel to Georgia without a visa.
Domestically, Georgia faces political turmoil as parliamentary elections
8 Central Asia & Caucasus Outlook 2021 www.intellinews.com