http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/92/371/15509_georgia.html
Good Lord, never again let Georgia ask Russia for anything
05/21/2005 14:42
Perhaps the Georgians would do better if they sang in chorus less while
paying more attention to the speeches of their leaders
I have no idea why the Creator bestowed a grapevine and a talent for
singing in chorus on the people of Georgia. Complimentarily, He also gave them
the presidents Gamsakhudia, Shevardnadze, and Saakashvili. I can not understand
why the people of Georgia were spellbound by the first one, then by the second
one, and why they are still under the spell of the third one. Perhaps the
Georgians would do better if they sang in chorus less while paying more
attention to the speeches of their leaders.
Was it really difficult to envisage the developments in Georgia under
Zviad Gamsakhardia, a Nazi intellectual? Interethnic strife, war, and collapse
of the country. Was it hard to see what the future had in store for Georgia
under Edward Shevardnadze who had done lots of wild things when he was the
foreign minister of the USSR?
It is quite easy to picture the future of Georgia with Mikhail
Saakashvili at the helm. A demagogue can be a good toast-master at best, but he
can never be a savior of the motherland. He made countless promises shortly
after taking over. Today those promises are being devaluated. No wonder his
original sky-high rating has already slumped.
Democracy has yet to come to Georgia. Adjaria did not get autonomy it had
been promised. Under the new president, a professional lawyer, thieves pay off
to avoid prison terms. In other words, the state became an official racketeer.
Despite its overall benevolence toward Georgia, the European Union believes the
new Georgian government is putting restrictions on the media and the opposition.
Be it things trifle or big, Mr. Saakashvili is doing whatever he wants
just like his predecessors did in the past. The ancient city of Tbilisi is
truly beautiful. The city's naturalness highlights its beauty. Shortly before
the arrival of U.S. President Bush in Tbilisi, the city was transformed into
some kind of a "peacock", as a Georgian artist put it, in line with the orders
issued by Mr. Saakashvili. The local intelligentsia expressed indignation and
asked the authorities to explain the garish decorations. The authorities put it
short and simple: a new image of the capital should correspond with the new
powers that be. U.S. President Bush had a great time in Tbilisi, no doubts
about it. He was dancing and enjoying himself. With a happy smile on his face
he was listening to that nonsense delivered by his Georgian counterpart.
Below is an excerpt from the speech of the Georgian president, quote:
"For many ages our incredibly beautiful motherland has been a scene of
mayhem involving various invaders. They came in from every single empire of the
world bringing blood and destruction. These walls still remember Romans,
Byzantines, Ottomans, Persians, Mongols, Russians. But none of them could
destroy our proud people," unquote.
Well, mentioning Russians next to Ottomans and Persians is really
something.
The American president did not study Georgian history in school. Mr.
Saakashvili was lying like a trooper. And no one of the Georgians standing at
the square seemed to be ashamed for the Georgian president. Everybody clapped
hands. Somebody reportedly threw a hand grenade toward the two presidents, but
it did not go off. It seems perfectly symbolic since everything is a sham in
today's Georgia.
Georgia was the only Christian state in Asia since the fall of
Constantinople in 1453. Persia and Turkey repeatedly invaded Georgia for many
centuries. Scores of Georgians were slain during those dark years of terror.
Making Georgia part of the Russian Empire implied a great deal of
responsibility that Russia had to take upon itself. In doing so, Russia
committed itself to protecting Georgia's borders. It was en enormous burden
Russia had to bear for many centuries. A few Russian Emperors refused to
incorporate Georgia into Russia despite the numerous requests from the
Georgians. Alexander I vacillated a great deal before agreeing on a plan to
include Georgia into the Russian Empire. The State Council actually pressed the
Emperor for the approval. The imperial ambitions were not the decisive
arguments in the case. Russia had an obligation to help a Christian nation that
was on the verge of total physical annihilation.
Russian general Mikhail Skobelev, the main hero of the Balkan wars, once
coined a wise expression: "Only the Russians can afford the luxury of fighting
out of compassion." Compassion is undoubtedly a praiseworthy attitude. A lack
of compassion for one's own people is a crime. A series of wars broke out in
the Caucasus following the inclusion of Georgia into the Russian Empire. Oceans
of Russian blood were shed. The Russian-Chechen tragedy stems mostly from those
wars. The Russian troops had to cross the land of Chechens in order to provide
security to Georgia. One can feel sorry for Chechnya that was run over by the
wheels of history. One can feel sorry for Russia that was run over by the same
wheels in a different manner. By and large, somebody tied up a knot that
Russians and Chechens have been trying to untangle for a long time.
These days, with its brand-new sponsors at hand, the Georgian government
is unceremoniously throwing away our military from Georgia. They even demand
that Russia pay damages for the stay of the "colonial forces" on the Georgian
soil.
Good Lord, never again let Georgia ask us for anything!
Petr Romanov
Read the original in Russian: (Translated by: Guerman Grachev)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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