Posted on 10/07/2006 5:59:29 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
YEREVAN, Armenia -- 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?"
Russia and Georgia have been locked in a bitter dispute since the arrests of four Russian officers by Georgia on Sept. 27 on charges of spying. Despite their release, Moscow has imposed a range of sanctions on its ex-Soviet republic neighbor to the south and tightened controls on Georgians living in Russia.
Politicians and analysts warn that Russia's transport and postal blockade may end up economically isolating Armenia, Georgia's landlocked southern neighbor.
Lawmaker Grair Karapetian said Armenian entrepreneurs were suffering "terrible losses" with the new restrictions. He estimated that transporting some 20 tons, essentially bypassing Georgia, carried an added expense of some $2,500.
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.
Some, like Sarkisian, have had to transport their goods to a Georgian port, then ferry them to a Ukrainian port and only then take them to Russia. Others have had to rely on cargo planes or could not afford the new costly routes.
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.
Opposition leader Khachatur Kokobalian has warned that such measures would be devastating for Armenia.
"I am sure that our republic is in for tough times, because the blockade of Georgia can lead to the most serious consequences for us in the transport, gas and energy sectors," Kokobalian said.
Relations between Russia and Georgia have been strained since Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili came to power following the 2003 Rose Revolution, vowing to take the country out of Russia's orbit and join NATO. Georgia also accuses Moscow of backing two breakaway Georgian provinces - an allegation Russia denies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed the conflict on Georgia and spurned Western calls to lift the sanctions, saying Georgian conduct was "aimed at escalating tension."
In addition to the sanctions, Russian authorities also have raided a number of Georgian-owned firms and closed down several popular restaurants in Moscow. Russian media reported that similar raids have been launched in several Russian provinces.
Moscow police also have asked schools to provide lists of children with Georgian last names in order to detect illegal migrants, education officials said. On Friday, 132 Georgians were deported after being detained as alleged illegal migrants.
Georgia's Foreign Ministry on Saturday protested Russia's crackdown, denouncing the move as "repressive measures against Georgian citizens and ethnic Georgians," and calling on the international community to comment on Russia's actions.
Meanwhile, the head of Georgia's airline, Airzena, said his company and two other Georgian airlines operating flights to and from Russia plan to contest Russia's decision to suspend air links between the two countries.
Police also detained more than a dozen activists rallying Saturday in support of Georgia outside the country's embassy.
It appears to me that the Armenians should hurry to aid Georgia else they end up facing Russia threatening them from Georgia.
Some most excellant wine comes from Georgia. Black Sea Georgia that is.
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