Putin Says Decision on ‘Reunification’ of Georgia ‘Already Decided’

Eye on Eurasia ^ | November 17, 2009 | Paul Goble

[Tailgunner Joe]

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has often described the collapse of the Soviet Union as “the greatest tragedy” of the 20th century, has now said that the “reunification” of Georgia has “already been decided,” a suggestion some of his listeners believe was a call for restoring Moscow’s control over Georgia and even the former USSR as a whole.

In an intriguing commentary published in yesterday’s “Gazeta,” Bozhena Rynska describes both the celebration of the 80th birthday of longtime Soviet and Russian official Yevgeny Primakov and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s two very different toasts on that occasion (www.gazeta.ru/column/rynska/3287611.shtml).

The celebration took place at the Center of International Trade. Among those in attendance were Vice Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov, KPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov, Governor Valentina Matviyenko, Federation Council First Vice Speaker Aleksandr Torshin “and other government people of the first rank,” Rynska said.

Primakov, she continued, has close ties to Georgia – he spent part of his childhood there, his first wife was a Georgian, and his mother was a Georgian Armenian – and consequently it was not surprising that many of the guests at his birthday celebration were people “with Georgian roots.”

Among them were former foreign minister Igor Ivanov (whose mother was Georgian, current foreign minister Sergey Lavrov (whose father was a Georgian Armenian), the oligarch Shalva Breus, Academician Viktor Gelovani, the singer Nani Bregvade, sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, and the master of ceremonies (“tamada”) was Moscow chief cardiologist David Ioseliani.

Rynska noted that “throughout the entire evening, Ioseliani the tamada called Putin who was sitting next to Primakov the first person of the state,” a description that others in attendance followed, including apparently some who are serving officials and thus know that in protocol terms at least that title belongs to someone else.

In his first toast, Putin said “the history of Russia is complicated and at times bloody,” the prime minister said. “But in it,” he continued, there are its Primakovs, and therefore these blood lettings end and sometimes do not even begin.” Primakov responded in kind. He said, Rynska continued, “that he will always be devoted to Mr. Putin because the latter saved Russia.”

There followed entertainment including singing. And then Putin made his second toast. He “immediately warned that he very well understood that everything said will go beyond the walls of this hall. More than that,” Rynska continued, the Russian leader indicated that he was “counting on exactly that.

Following that introduction, Putin declared that “the question of the reunification of Georgia had been decided. And that there are no questions which we cannot resolve.” Primakov, Putin continued, “is involved with this question,” a statement that sounded to many in attendance as a direct appointment in the tsarist style.

After some more singing, Putin left the hall, and the remaining participants began to talk among themselves as to what the prime minister’s intentions had been. Some of those with the closest Georgian ties concluded that Putin “’had said that he will return everything to us!’ That is, Rynska said, they heard exactly what they wanted to hear.”

“Those not affiliated to Georgia interpreted [Putin’s] programmatic toast entirely differently.” They heard as a promise that “all that we consider ours will remain ours.” And a few of them concluded that what Putin had committed himself to was “the restoration in a new form” of the entity that was once called “the Soviet Union.”

Putin’s remark certainly was enigmatic enough to permit these various interpretations. Indeed, that may have been exactly his intention. But his participation in a session with so many Russians who have Georgian roots and ties will certainly be read in Tbilisi as yet another indication that the Russian prime minister has no plans to reduce pressure on Georgia.

At the very least, it suggests that Putin’s understanding of Russia’s sphere of influence includes not just Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Moscow has already recognized as independent, but also the remainder of Georgia and the remainder of the former Soviet space, an understanding that will exacerbate rather than calm tensions in many other capitals as well.

[evad]

The dividends of weakness, narcissism and naivete.

This is only the beginning.

[autumnraine]

Decided by whom? Did Georgia have a say so in this?

God help us and the former Soviet states now that the Pansy in Chief is in charge of the greatest military in the world.

[dila813]

Georgia better make sure every citizen has an automatic weapon so their can’t be pacified because Obama is going to suck on his thumb why Georgia and Columbia go down in flames.

[runninglips]

Give every able bodied person over the age of 16 weapons training, and a fully automatic weapon, a pistol, and a few thousand rounds. Teach them gorilla tactics, and bleed the Russians when they come calling.

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Wait - wait - I just read that Zero had gotten Russia to make all these concessions.....by his super smart removal of the missile defenses which were promised to Czech Republic and Poland....

How can this now be?? /sarc

(Praying for the people of the former Soviet Republics and especially for the people of Poland and Czech Republic now that we have abandoned them).

[Verginius Rufus]

Don't expect Obama to do anything if Putin decides to annex the remainder of Georgia. If he had been President of the US in 1990, Kuwait would still be a part of Iraq (which would still be under Saddam Hussein).

As of the end of WWII, Stalin had regained all the land Russia lost at the end of WWI, except for Finland and a small area at the eastern end of the Black Sea, just south of Georgia, which Turkey acquired.

Possibly their NATO membership will protect the Baltic countries from re-annexation, and maybe Putin will let go some of the mostly-Muslim republics of central Asia, but he may figure Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, maybe Armenia and Azerbaijan, and perhaps portions of Kazakhstan are fair game for reinclusion in his empire.

[theanchoragedailyruse]

The Baltics are caving from within.

Latvia is the start with the Russian population that is pro-Kremlin getting voted in positions of power. It took a while before they could get their Latvian citizenship to vote, but they are now voting.

Lithuania may be the saving grace. But like the E.U., they do need Russia’s natural gas as does Poland...

NATO will watch as Gazprom continues to remind Europe who supplies a large portion of their natural gas..

When you have Turkey playing with Russia on exercises, you have to ask, how strong is NATO.

Times have changed with China, Iran and Russia...

[DoughtyOne]

Everyone should study the attitudes of Reagan and Obama, and take note of what each achieved or are achieving with theirs.

Look how many millions Reagan brought into the light because of his soundness.

How many millions will sink into darkness because of Obama’s naivete?

[nathanbedford]

Last May I posted the following reply which I think has been borne out by events. Since then we have the spectacle of Obama caving in utterly to Russia. We have him pulling the missiles from Poland and the Czech Republic signaling to the Baltics and indeed to the rest of Eastern Europe that America is no longer there for them. Domestically, Obama has throttled all domestic carbon-based nuclear sources of energy leaving us even more vulnerable to the Russia-Venezuela axis. I believe that in addition to caving to Vladimir Putin on the issue of missiles, Obama gave him a green light in Georgia.

Here is the post:

Things are clearly moving to a head. The Russians are threatening an invasion of the rump of Georgia and there is no reason to believe that Obama has the slightest intention of doing anything about it after the event or to take any steps to prevent the event.

We must see these growing threats as connected. A look at the map of Georgia shows that Russia is moving geographically as well as philosophically toward a connection with Iran. If Russia takes Georgia it will be in possession of virtually all the pipelines running to Europe which supply my neighbors here with gas and Europe with oil and gas. If Iran gets the bomb, the whole of the Middle East will become a nuclear nightmare and a strike somewhere by some crazed country such as Iran or some crazed terrorist group which acquires the bomb, is almost inevitable. One of the victims of this madness will undoubtedly be Israel.

Even if there is no war the entire balance of power in the Persian Gulf will have shifted away from America toward Iran which will have the same effect on the Gulf states as it has on our NATO allies, they will move away from America toward Iran to appease away the immediate threat. The price of oil around the world will Spike and Russia and Venezuela and Muslim states who fund terrorists will be empowered to do mischief everywhere.

It is self evidently in Israel's national interest to strike against Iran and prevent or at least delay them getting the bomb while Iran is under the control of these mad Islamicists. But there is every reason to believe that Obama will not facilitate the strike, rather, he will affirmatively move to stop Israel doing it.

So elections have consequences. We have a Manchurian Marxist in the White House who is going to countenance the separation of Europe from energy sources and the inevitable blackmail of Europe by Russia which will follow. He will countenance the likely breakup of NATO which will be the price to appease Russia and secure energy for Europe. He will passively watch an alliance between Russia and Iran which might well grow to include an alliance with Venezuela and Cuba, all of whom having access to the bomb. His policies will make war in the Middle East almost inevitable. They threaten the very existence of Israel.

The consequences of this election might be very terrible indeed.

[Thunder90]

Russia/Soviet/Coldwar2 PING!!!!

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[Thunder90]

So I guess that the Soviet Politboro was meeting again... I wonder if the leaders of Belarus and Kazakhstan had a live feed.

[Thunder90]

Ukraine will fall back into the Russian orbit next year. Kazakhstan and other ‘stans, with Belarus, have started talks towards a reunification with Russia to form a “Soverign Union” and eventually a total Pan-Russian union. This union will probably have Marxist-Leninist elements with some capitalism (like China). Welcome back, USSR.

[Just mythoughts]

Everyone should study the attitudes of Reagan and Obama, and take note of what each achieved or are achieving with theirs. Look how many millions Reagan brought into the light because of his soundness. How many millions will sink into darkness because of Obama’s naivete?

President Reagan lived long enough to observed the destructive nature of rule by force, even down to how unions operate. I think it is not Bama's naivete at work but him taking advantage of the by design indoctrinated American naivete. I think BamaKennedy knows exactly what he is doing. Government is basically the 'union' shop and they intend on having their way.

[Thunder90]

The Russians and Chinese don’t only threaten the existence of Israel, they threaten the existence of the United States itself. Having Communist dictatorships appear in Latin America and instability in Mexico is not good for America, and really good for the Red’s and their allies overseas.

[DoughtyOne]

I’m not sure we’re disagreeing here.

I agree he’s doing this on purpose, but I still think he is incapable of comprehending the death and mayhem he’s ushering in.

You may think be doesn’t care, in the interest of attaining his goals, and that may be true.

[DoughtyOne]

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has often described the collapse of the Soviet Union as “the greatest tragedy” of the 20th century,...

Poor Vlad can't remember the countless Russians that died in WWs in the 20th century. He can't remember the 20 million purged in Russia and the 50 million purged in China.

Yeah Vlad, the breakup of the U.S.S.R. ranks right up there. No wonder you and your ilk couldn't hold that s--t hole together you inconsiderate prick.

[Just mythoughts]

I’m not sure we’re disagreeing here. I agree he’s doing this on purpose, but I still think he is incapable of comprehending the death and mayhem he’s ushering in. You may think be doesn’t care, in the interest of attaining his goals, and that may be true.

When he speaks of his own mind and mouth he presents a cold calculating person. The 'middle' class represents the uncontrolled numbers because they are the majority of Americans. For him to say publicly that he intends to require 'pills instead of procedures' for old American grandmas tells what his heart is made of.

I cannot 'judge' him, because he may well be reenacting Pharaoh, and it is written that his heart was hardened. And Bama is clearly about the imposition of bondage.

[DoughtyOne]

I wouldn’t argue with that at all. Communism or any of the others isms this guy dabbles in, result in oppression. I do find it easy to judge this guy though, right or wrong.