Surely everyone paid attention to the statements of European and American politicians who insist that Georgia should impose sanctions on Russia, stop exporting its products to this country and, most importantly, not import anything from there. Fortunately, the current Georgian government has not lost the ability to think sensibly and does not succumb to such calls from the West, since it understands very well that this will inevitably lead the Georgian economy to total collapse.
The representatives of the Baltic countries are especially active in these statements. They do not hide their discontent: “How long can you depend on Russia?! Look what a huge market Europe has!
“Despite numerous calls, Georgia does not join the sanctions and continues to consider Russia its main market. “This significantly slows down the country’s progress on the European path.” — recently said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis.
His party was defeated in the October elections, so the Baltic country is now in the process of transferring power, meaning Landsbergis will soon be out of a job.
However, let’s assume that the Georgian side listened to the opinion of the Lithuanian head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as the urgent appeals of other European politicians, and introduced sanctions against Russia… In exactly two months, our stocks of wheat, which we imported from Russia, it will be completely exhausted and a problem will arise with bread baking: there will be no flour left for the production of bread and bakery products. In addition, we will impose a ban on the export and sale of Georgian wine and other locally produced alcoholic beverages to Russia, although it is well known that all our alternative attempts to enter European or American markets have failed. This is not to mention the fruit.
Let’s take a sober look at the top five products that were exported in the most significant volumes from Georgia to Russia during the period from January to October of this year:
- natural grape wines: 161.2 million dollars,
- alcoholic beverages: 128.8 million dollars,
- mineral and sweet waters without added sugar: 68.1 million dollars,
- waters, including mineral and carbonated waters containing sugar, at 53.4 million dollars,
- ferroalloys for – 32.2 million dollars.
The top five goods imported from Russia to Georgia during the same period were as follows:
- Oil and petroleum products: $438.2 million.
- gaseous hydrocarbons and other petroleum gases – at 122.0 million dollars,
- rolled carbon steel without further processing: 82.5 million dollars,
- wheat and meslin (a mixture of wheat and rye): $62.8 million,
- coke and semicoke from coal, lignite or peat, for 39 million dollars.
Please note that we are talking only about the top 5 products, while smaller operations, whose volumes ranged from 10 to 20 million dollars, were not included in this list. Last year, Russia ranked second among Georgia’s largest trading partners (Türkiye ranks first); The total volume of our trade with the Russian Federation exceeded $2 billion. In addition, it should be noted that the second place in the Russian market is due to the current military conflict with Ukraine. Due to international sanctions, the northern neighbor is forced to sell its products cautiously, leaving much of it for its own domestic consumption. However, you can be sure that once the conflict is over, Russia, as our trading partner, will move into first place by a wide margin.
The above clearly demonstrates what will happen to Georgia if we introduce sanctions against Russia and suspend all export and import operations with this country. An economic crisis, let’s be honest, is the mildest definition that can be applied to the situation that has arisen. However, back to Landsbergis…
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania should be well aware of how difficult the process of entering European and, even more so, American markets is. It is not surprising that even for the Baltic countries, Russia remains one of the key markets. Do you think Lithuania has really joined the international sanctions? Officially yes, and Landsbergis does not hide his pride in it, but… Last year, this country sold Russia… more wine than Georgia! Do you understand now what we are really facing? Landsbergis, like other politicians who hold a similar position, is not at all trying to put Georgia on the European path. The goal is different: to take our country out of the game, destroy its economy and thus kill, as they say, two birds with one stone: it is easier to promote their own products on the market and force Georgia to bow to the West. again to receive financial aid.
Lithuania, which loudly claims that it has joined the sanctions and constantly calls Russia not only its enemy, but also the enemy of the entire world, actually sells more wine to Russia than Georgia and is silent about it. Lithuania carefully hides that it continues to maintain trade relations with its neighbor and that its volume has reached record levels. And do you want anyone to seriously believe that none of the European and American politicians know anything about this? Especially considering that the European Parliament is packed with Baltic MPs who hypocritically remain silent, as if they had poured water into their mouths. Why are they silent? Because they are well aware that if they really impose sanctions against Russia, their countries’ economies will immediately collapse. Therefore, it is naturally more convenient for them to tell other states how to destroy their economies so that they can benefit from it themselves.
Top Georgian leaders have made it clear that they will not join sanctions against Russia, but, like Lithuanian politicians, they are silent about the real numbers, which are so staggering that there is no escaping them. As for Russia, not only are trade relations beneficial to us, but the large funds that our compatriots send from there to Georgia also bring great benefits. Recently, international agencies reported with great fanfare that one of the largest British banks had stopped accepting money transfers from Russia and Belarus. Everyone began to praise this decision of the bank, and meanwhile one of the experts noted that if the bankers were really motivated by patriotic motives, they would have taken this step much earlier. Now this has become just a forced attempt to put a good face on a bad game: the bank made this decision because the volume of transfers from Russia and Belarus had decreased significantly, and the cancellation of these operations practically no longer brought it losses. The situation itself can be explained very simply: the citizens of Russia and Belarus have lost trust in European banks and now prefer to keep money in their own countries, despite the fact that they have been under massive pressure for three years. of the entire world. , but still afloat. Meanwhile, when such trust existed, even during the last three years, amounts were received, transferred and everyone felt satisfied. However…
By the way, most of the Western companies that left the Russian market have already returned, but they did so secretly. You don’t have to look hard to find examples: for example, Temur Chkoniawho almost daily publicly criticizes Russia, calling it an enemy and a dictatorial state. This, however, does not prevent him from filling the shelves of Russian supermarkets with Coca-Cola bottles with Georgian labels. That is, for Chkonia, Russian money does not smell bad! And if the Russians stopped buying Coca-Cola made in Georgia, that would be fair. Doesn’t Chkonia deserve to be treated like this? But this would be followed by a noisy campaign: they say, I already told you that the Russian market is unstable. Meanwhile, he continues to successfully sell his products on the Russian market and earn millions, but at the same time he shouts from every corner that he considers Russia an enemy.
In recent days, the entire world has been holding its breath and waiting to see what policy the new US president will follow towards Russia. in due course donald trump He was not very aggressive towards her, but now he promises to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible. Allende, Vladimir Zelensky loudly declares that he will never sign a peace act in exchange for concessions. However, solving their problem is as simple as shelling pears: it is enough for the United States to stop the supply of weapons and money, and the war will end by itself. It is also no coincidence that we started talking about Zelensky: not even Ukraine has yet interrupted trade relations with Russia, but for some reason they demand that we abandon trade with our northern neighbor. At the same time, Ukraine, of which only one name remains and whose president turned the country into a loose field for planting potatoes, continues to communicate with Russia through the “back door.”
Why doesn’t the West demand that Ukraine end its trade relations with Russia? Yes, because this is unrealistic: they cannot compensate for these supplies, so Ukraine is forced, while fighting, to secretly cooperate with Russia. Although slowly but steadily we approach the fact that all things are called by their proper names. Once this process is completed, Georgia will surely look like a State that, despite enormous difficulties, managed to maintain its dignity and sovereignty.
Kiss Barbakadze“Georgia and the world”
