Ukraine and Georgia: Friendship Made Unofficial
“Ukraine’s leaving the Group of Friends of Georgia under the auspices of the UN Secretary General does not mean that Kyiv will diminish its efforts to settle the Georgian- Abkhazian conflict,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Ihor Dolhov told The Day. Ukraine was a member of this group for two years, while it was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. As Ukraine’s membership term came to an end, this automatically raised the question of its leaving the Group of Friends of Georgia (an unofficial association, consisting of Great Britain, Germany, the US, Russia, and France, that is playing a key role in the settlement of the Georgian- Abkhazian conflict). Kyiv raised an objection, wishing to retain the status of a friend. The more so that there was a precedent: when Germany ceased its status as a non-permanent member, it was not excluded from the association. The Ukrainian request could have been accepted if all members of the group had agreed to it. The request was supported by all except... the United States of America.
The Group of Friends discussed the Ukrainian question twice, in late December and in early January. Significantly, the discussion was held in the absence of Ukrainian representatives. The American stand on this matter remains an enigma. US Embassy officials in Kyiv were unaware of the situation. It is useless to ask Ukrainian diplomats about it, because they put diplomatic correctness above everything else: a certain position is to be expressed by one side, while the other side can only comment on it. Ministry spokesman Dolhov was impeccably cautious in his comments. Although he spoke primarily about Ukraine’s contribution to the resolution of differences between Sukhumi and Tbilisi and about possible future actions on this matter, it was easy to notice that the commentator emphasized the fact that Kyiv’s wish was not supported by none other than the United States. There are a wealth of versions about Washington’s attitude. One of the most plausible is that the Group of Friends can do without such a participant as Ukraine. Another is that Kyiv was too active and thus thwarted somebody else’s efforts. Although the former version is more plausible, the latter must also be taken into consideration.
It should also be noted that it is on the initiative and under the chairmanship of Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anatoly Zlenko that the UN Security Council held last March a closed-door session to discuss the Abkhazian situation. Earlier, Kyiv initiated the Yalta meeting of the Georgian and Abkhazian delegations, when for the first time in the past seven years they affirmed their determination to work together to reach a comprehensive settlement. However, recent developments in Abkhazia have shown that it is too early to pronounce the peace process a success. Still, none of the UN Security Council members but Ukraine has raised again the issue of settling this conflict for over a year.
It can be suggested that Ukraine has lost its Georgian friend status due to its too pro-Georgian stand (in any case, this is the opinion of Sukhumi). It is quite natural that a state is stripped of the official status of intermediary in conflict settlement if it favors one side more than the other. As to Russia, Tbilisi assesses its position as overtly pro-Abkhazian and not conducive to conflict resolution. After all, it is no accident that the Abkhazian leadership should be saying it might apply for membership in the Russian Federation. Nevertheless, despite all the problems connected with confidence building measures, visa requirements, and Russian peacekeepers, Russia still remains part of this group.
Obviously, the United States had its own reasons, which it is in no hurry to make public. As to the Georgian side, it has been always reiterated under all circumstances that Tbilisi has no more trusted friend than Kyiv.
