Instead of empowering, our Government has been debilitated to the fullest extent and today we have such a feeble and weak government, the likes of which we have never had after the elections of 2012

Regarding acute issue of Georgia’s domestic and foreign policy, InterPressNews interviewed Vice President of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Georgia’s Science Academy, Alexandre Tvaltchrelidze.

- Recently we have heard the evaluations from each and every inpidual who has actively been involved in the recently unfolded events between the leading team of the Coalition and the Government. However, we still fail to get what has fueled the Free Democrats to “revolt” and move to the left-wing party. How would you evaluate this occurrence as well as its impact on our internal or external policy?

--The Free Democrats’ “rebellion” and their decision to abandon the Coalition was nothing surprising to me. When they carry out an aim-oriented attack on a party leader and when a minister and one of the leaders of the Coalition is forced out of office an hour earlier before a political council session, his team, by all odds, withdraws itself from the coalition and this move from its members is absolutely understandable. Any political expert could have predicted this, since dismissing a minister in such a way is something off-kilter; as a rule such incidents don’t take place in a country’s political life. The Government may urge a minister to file a resignation request and step away but dismissing a minister like Alasania is something really unusual.

As we know, Mr. Alasania underwent a number of training courses in the U.S. and was typecast as a staunch supporter of the western course. I am sure that Alasania’s dismissal would not have been approved by our foreign partners especially when his replacement is not even a political figure. In democratic states, such posts, as a rule, are given to political figures only.

As for our internal policy, I am almost sure that they have removed Alasania from his post for the sole purpose – to leave only those members in the Government who coordinate smoothly. Mr. Alasania really could not be defined as an obedient or servile politician; on the contrary, he was a very charismatic political figure whose hands could not have been tied so easily. His fate was determined long ago; however, the result of this has proven to be radically different from what would be expected – we have never had such a weak and enervated Government before. I don’t rule out, moreover, I am almost sure that the people’s decision to give a vote of confidence to these authorities will come under a question mark soon.

- Like President Margvelashvili, the leader of Free Democrats, Irakli Alasania, also stressed that the country’s fate must not be in the hands of one man only. However, on the Public Broadcasting network, Mr. Ivanishvili emphasized that he is not a true center of power; in addition, the former PM expanded on a number of acute issues. What key messages has he delivered to the people?

--Bidzina Ivanishvili conveyed some extremely interesting messages to the people: 1. he underscored that he is no longer in politics since he is a member of the civil society, who will make all-out efforts to move his country forward, and while focusing on this issue he used a rather unexpected term “Society 2030,” which he allegedly plans to form; however, only God knows, whether or not this society will play a defining part in the country’s political life. 2. when it came to Alasania, he emphasized that he does respect Free Democrats and is glad that a constructive left-wing party has finally surfaced in our political scene. In his words, such an opposition will only prove beneficial for the country; this rhetoric was radically different from that of Gharibashvili who seems to stick to an obsolete philosophy as per which “if someone is not with you, he/she is against you.” Obviously such rhetoric is nothing good. As a matter of fact, Mr. Alasanioa’s response to Gharibashvili’s defamatory words can be defined as laudable as this man took the moral high road and refused to stoop to insult the PM.

- We know that an investigation into the so called “cable case” is still underway. Despite some stentorian statements, the people have still not gotten answers to their core questions such as: has corruption actually been rampant within the Defense Ministry and if so was Alasania in any way involved in this? Do some threats really exist for our European course? While appearing on Public Broadcasting network, Ivanishvili announced that Alasania has failed to provide him with an adequate response regarding the case of tenders. What kind of an impression have the former PM’s words left on you?

I think we have to deal with a big misunderstanding on this issue. In order to ensure the country’s safety, Mr. Alasania is keeping a great deal of things under wraps. Since I don’t have access to classified materials, I am able to proclaim only my opinion regarding this matter. At the Public Broadcaster, Ivanishvili stressed that some of those cables having recently attracted much publicity could have been used for the internet. Similar technologies that are suitable for business are absolutely useless for a defense system. Because of these world known cyber attacks, in all countries throughout the globe, they have cyber cables to which access is denied to internet users.

To those who take interest in similar technologies, I would suggest them to look through Den Brown’s novel “Digital Fortress.” This book will give you detailed information regarding how they carried out a cyber attack on the U.S. Defense Security Service. And the second but not the least important point on which I want to focus your attention is that no one is entitled to sew up similar contracts via tenders. On this particular occasion, security matters much more than cash. As long as “Silknet” rendered a cyber service to the U.S. Embassy, precisely this company was chosen as a partner of the Defense Ministry. Generally, making not very profound deductions in terms of similar issues is not right. If you really smell a rat in this concrete case, and if you turn down the offered logic, then you are obliged to prove that Mr. Alasania took a bribe. By all odds, this entire situation, these cables, suspicious sources of internet providers as well as an undeclared tender raises some questions, but some other not least important issues are also worth taking into account. I am really clueless regarding the fact of whether or not the recently arrested high officials were involved in some corruption schemes but it is absolutely clear to me that the Prosecutor’s Office has used some unprofessional methods to investigate this case.

--How well-founded does Soso Tsiskarishvili’s presumption in relation to Alasania’s dismissal seem to you? As you know, the expert linked his dismissal to an agreement on military cooperation between Georgia and Germany and Georgia and France.

- I can say nothing important regarding this issue. As you know these are Soso Tsiskarishvili’s personal deductions. I know Mr. Tsiskarishvili very well and I have read his interview on InterPressNews; however, I cannot release any kind of comment regarding his personal opinions. One thing is still clear to me though – the Prosecutor’s Office dealt a blow to the Defense Ministry. By doing this, they really hit home. I mean that the top officials of the Ministry were apprehended when Mr. Alasania was in the office of the French Defense Minister. Thus, time for taking this step was chosen skillfully.

In the words of the former Defense Minister, he does not cast doubts on the Government’s determination to chase the western course. However, it’s an obligation of the Security Services to find out whether people with different mindsets are within the Prosecutor’s Office. And here I want to raise my pivotal question i.e. the question which in the furthest antiquity was posed to the Holy Inquisition by Martin Luther: “who will control those who controls others?” The Prosecutor who looked into Davit Kirvalidze’s case has been elevated to a higher post. And they have granted him a higher post despite the fact that Kirvalidze and others having been involved in this case have been declared not-guilty. By telling you this, I want to emphasize that the mechanisms to control those who control others are not in our hands today. In this concrete case, I by all odds mean the actions by the Prosecutor’s Office. Today, there is not even a shadow of doubt that this system needs to be remolded to the core. 

--I am not going to scare anybody but as you know Mr. Ivanishvili announced that he will gather the career histories of each and every expert and will carefully look into them. To what may point Ivanishvili’s words as per which he will prepare all experts within the program “2030”?

--Unfortunately, I cannot decipher the connotation of these words. Presumably he will indoctrinate experts into the views and ideology of his NGO. Ivanishvili is absolutely right while claiming that the word “expert” has lost its meaning and has become trite. And to tell the truth, now I don’t even know what the term “expert” means. In my mind, expert is a man who is able to draw right conclusions on the basis of little information. Unfortunately, Georgia lacks such people today.

--In your opinion, when did the Free Democrats realized that the foreign course of the country is at risk? When did they conclude that the country’s political course should not be determined by the security service? If they knew all this earlier, what hindered them from expressing their overt protest against this?

- Saying the Security Service is not entitled to rule a country is right. I am saying precisely this in other words: who will control those who control others? I think that they needed all this for their own PR. Precisely for this purpose they threw the issue of our western course into the mix. As you remember, Alasania announced that the Government lacks politicians who share his opinions and have the aspirations as his. In this statement, he obviously implicated the Prosecutor’s Office. Some questions are truly swirling round this issue and I hope that they will be answered over time.

- Some observers think that if the aim of the Free Democrats’ decision to withdraw themselves from the Coalition, was to press the National Movement, they have succeeded in doing this. However, today’s processes are of such a spontaneous nature that we can hardly assume that anyone in the political arena is apt to outline such a well-though out plan and take such well-measured steps. Many share this opinion today; however, we still have been left with an impression that these allegations do not ring true and the only goal they wanted to reach by doing this is to overshadow their own mistakes. What could you say regarding this matter?

--I would start answering your question by remembering Occam's Razor from philosophy. Occam was a philosopher of middle ages and extremely interesting words are linked to his name. If this or that phenomenon or occurrence is possible to be explained, as a rule, the simplest explanation of it is the most likely. From the experience that life gives us, we can definitely define these words as incontrovertible… Thus, I don’t really think that the Coalition has intellectual members with such a political acumen that they are able to take extremely well-measured steps and hit the bull’s-eye…This seems even more incredible, especially on this particular occasion when they could have easily been faced with a radically different outcome. From my viewpoint, these recently unfolded events were the consequence of their own mistakes that finally led them in an impasse – Instead of empowering, our Government has been debilitated to the full extent and today we have such a feeble and weak government, the likes of which we have never had after the elections of 2012.

- How well-grounded does an allegation as per which Ivanishvili wants Nino Burjanadze and Irma Inashvili to be a key opposing force seem to you? And how big is the chance that Free Democrats will manage to be molded as a key opposing force before the parliamentary elections of 2016?

--I don’t really think that Free Democrats have departed from big politics. They have played a truly big part within the coalition. I presume that Free Democrats are attempting to pursue their independent policy along with the Republicans.

I am sure that in the coming parliamentary elections, the Free Democrats will be main protagonists enjoying a really high rating. The only thing that they must avoid now is making fatal mistakes that, as you know, is in the blood of young people.

Koba Bendeliani

InterPressNews