INTERNATIONAL THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013 Five years after war, Georgia defies Russia over Europe TBILISI: Five years after it fought a war with Russia, significant ethnic Russian communities. Despite week, said his country of 4.5 million should not be Georgia will be represented in Vilnius by Georgia is preparing to defy its former Soviet mas- Russia’s concerns, Tbilisi will initial the accord on seen in the same light as Ukraine, whose population President Georgy Margvelashvili, who was elected ters again by initialling an accord on strengthening deepening trade and other cooperation with the EU is 10 times bigger. last month, but the prime minister’s post is the most ties with Europe. New Prime Minister Irakly on Friday at a summit in the Lithuanian capital of Georgia is further from Moscow’s orbit than powerful in the country. Garibashvili is toughing it out just a week after Vilnius. It expects to sign the final agreement next Ukraine and underlined its independence in 2008 by Garibashvili, a former interior minister, not only another former Soviet republic, Ukraine, bowed to year and hopes Moscow will adopt a warmer policy withdrawing from the Moscow-led Commonwealth faces a tough task soothing Russian concerns but pressure from Moscow and suspended plans to towards it as it tries in the long term to join NATO of Independent States, the political bloc created as also addressing the EU’s worries about Georgia’s cre- strike a similar deal with the European Union. and the EU. “I think that in the long run it’s in Russia’s the Soviet Union fell apart. dentials. The EU is alarmed by the arrest of several The South Caucasus country’s economy is much interests to resolve political disputes between our In a sign that ties could finally be improving, former ministers and other officials, including for- smaller than Ukraine’s but it is important to the EU countries,” he said. Russia this year lifted bans on imports of Georgian mer prime minister Vano Merabishvili, since because it hosts pipelines that carry Caspian gas and The Russian Foreign Ministry stepped up pres- wine, mineral water and fruit that were imposed in Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream coalition ousted oil to Europe. sure on former Soviet republics hoping to move 2006. Even so, tensions remain high after the August Saakashvili’s party at the polls in 2012. “Ukraine’s decision is very unfortunate, but closer to Europe on Tuesday by warning that they 2008 war over two Moscow-backed breakaway The EU has urged Georgian leaders to avoid the Ukraine and Georgia are different stories as we are would face “years of economic turmoil”, including regions. Diplomatic relations, severed after the war, “politics of revenge” - a remark that echoes its con- much less dependent on Russia than Ukraine is,” higher unemployment and lower living standards. have not been restored and Russia still controls the cerns about “selective justice” in Ukraine, which has Garibashvili told Reuters in an interview in the Moldova, another former Soviet republic, is also two separatist-minded regions. refused to release jailed former prime minister Yulia Georgian capital Tbilisi. defying the warnings and will initial an agreement But Garibashvili made clear he was not about to Tymoshenko. “Russia may use political and economic leverage on closer ties with the EU in Vilnius. Ukraine had be cowed by Russia, saying: “Twenty percent of our “Vano Merabishvili and Yulia Tymoshenko are to put pressure on Georgia, but I believe that it can- been expected to sign an association agreement in territory is occupied, and Russia has already recog- totally different stories,” Garibashvili said. “Some of not be serious.” Like Ukraine, Georgia is trying to Vilnius, allowing it to join a free trade area with the nised the independence of Abkhazia and so-called our European partners may have questions, but we’ll strike a balance between East and West but finding bloc. But after months of Russian warnings over gas South Ossetia. What else they can do?” make sure that this trial (against Merabishvili) is it hard to strengthen ties with Europe without supply cuts and trade restrictions, Kiev changed its Garibashvili is a close ally of Bidzina Ivanishvili, absolutely transparent.” upsetting Russia. Moscow is anxious to maintain its mind last week and said it would rebuild economic who quit this month as prime minister, saying his Merabishvili, a Saakashvili ally, is being tried for influence over states it dominated during Soviet ties with Moscow instead. job was done now that his rival Mikheil Saakashvili alleged vote-buying before last year’s parliamentary times, especially those with energy pipelines and Garibashvili, who became prime minister last was no longer president. election and other crimes. — Reuters Italy Senate expels ex-PM Berlusconi ‘It is the day they have been waiting for’ ROME: The Italian Senate yesterday expelled three-time ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi from Parliament over his tax fraud conviction, ending, for now, his two-decade legislative run but not his political career. Berlusconi has warned that the unprecedent- ed move would embarrass Italy internationally. He maintained his defiance as the Senate voted, declaring Wednesday a “day of mourning for democracy” before thousands of cheering, flag- BERLIN: (LtoR) Head of Social Democratic Party (SPD) Sigmar Gabriel, German waving supporters outside his Roman palazzo. Chancellor and head of Christian Democratic Party (CDU) Angela Merkel and leader Even though Berlusconi won’t hold a seat in of CDU Bavarian allies Christian Social Union (CSU) Horst Seehofer give a press con- Parliament, he is expected to remain influential ference after signing their agreement to form a coalition government yesterday in in Italian politics. He has relaunched his Forza Berlin. German Chancellor Merkel agreed to form a coalition government with cam- Italia party and he still commands millions of paign rivals the Social Democrats, two months after her conservatives won elections loyal supporters. While his lawyers chart possible but fell short of a full majority. — AFP legal challenges and his allies move into Italy’s opposition, Berlusconi’s fans massed in front of his Roman palazzo for a rally that analysts said German Chancellor, SPD was essentially the start of Italy’s next electoral campaign. clinch coalition deal “Today they are toasting because they can take an adversary, they say a friend, in front of the executioner’s squad,” Berlusconi said. “It is BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conserva- states will continue, despite SPD promises the day they have been waiting for for 20 years.” tives and the centre-left Social Democrats during the election campaign to take a more He pledged to continue his role as a political ROME: People show posters reading “Plutonium decays into 24.000 years, Uranium in 4 million (SPD) clinched a coalition deal yesterday that pro-growth approach in a single currency bloc leader, citing other figures not in Parliament, years, Berlusconi decays today !!!” in front of the Italian Senate yesterday in Rome. Italy’s par- puts Germany on track to have a new govern- ravaged by high unemployment. A closely namely the founder of the Five Star Movement, liament prepared to expel Silvio Berlusconi today over his tax fraud conviction in a momen- ment in place by Christmas. The agreement watched compromise on banking union Beppe Grillo, and Matteo Renzi of the tous move that raises the risk of his arrest but is unlikely to end his tumultuous career. — AFP was struck roughly two months after Merkel between the parties makes clear that the 17 Democratic Party, tipped by many as a future was the clear winner in national elections but member states have primary responsibility for premier candidate. tutional and can’t be applied retroactively to Alfano’s New Center-Right - would continue in fell short of a parliamentary majority, forcing dealing with their own stricken banks, and can “Also, from outside the Parliament, we can crimes allegedly committed before it was the short term. her into talks with the arch-rival SPD, with only turn to a common taxpayer-financed continue to fight for our liberty,” he said. passed. The opposition, however, now includes two whom she ruled in an awkward “grand coali- European fund for help when all other Supporters were treated to a video montage of They have taken their challenge to the strong leaders: Berlusconi and Grillo, whose tion” during her first term as Chancellor from avenues have been exhausted. Berlusconi’s greatest political hits from a career European Court of Human Rights - even though populist Five Star Movement encapsulates the 2005-2009. Carsten Nickel, a political analyst at Teneo that began in 1994 when he first came into pow- it turns out Berlusconi didn’t make much of his discontent many Italians feel with the country’s The deal, spelled out in a detailed 185- Intelligence, said the SPD had realized, after er with a political party named for a soccer chant Senate role to begin with: Private TV La7 report- byzantine politics. page policy document, will not be final until flirting with the idea of common euro-zone “Go Italy.” He said that even if he’s no longer a ed this week that “Berlusconi by himself doesn’t have the approved over the coming weeks by a postal bonds, “that the domestic political consensus senator, he will continue to be a force to reckon Berlusconi attended just one Senate session strength to bring down Letta’s government, but ballot of the 474,000 card-carrying SPD mem- does not reward any large-scale deviation with. “For us he will always be there,” said Marilda since April’s elections. And that was when he did he’s going to make it more difficult for the bers, many of them skeptical about partnering form Merkel’s path”.