Kommersant: "Nino Burdjanadze to find the way out of deadlock?"
Vladimir Putin meets with Nino Burdjanadze
Yesterday Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met with Nino Burdjanadze, a leader of the Georgian opposition. She can now easily claim to be the only Georgian negotiator feted by Moscow, but special correspondent Andrei Kolesnikov thinks that her position is extremely shaky.
One can assume that every leader of the Georgian opposition would like to come to Moscow, meet with Putin and return home as if nothing happened.
After such a meeting Borzhomi mineral water and Kindzmarauli wine are not likely to flood Russia any time soon.
However, no matter how embarrassed Georgian leaders may be to admit it, such a meeting enhances their importance not only in the eyes of their rivals but primarily in the eyes of their own factions.
Yesterday night on the eve of her flight to Moscow from Tbilisi, Burdjanadze confirmed the worst apprehensions of her colleagues: it was she who was going to Moscow. She specified that she was going to make big time policy decisions in Moscow while politicians in Georgia prepare for the local elections.
After this statement, it became clear that she would meet not only with parliament Speaker Boris Gryzlov, but also with Vladimir Putin and, most likely, with President Dmitry Medvedev.
Putin and Burdjanadze talked tête-à-tête. In the beginning of the meeting, Putin admitted that he was very happy to see Burdjanadze due to their long acquaintance and belated reunion. Burdjanadze was not perplexed by this admission, although she was bound to understand that she was going to play an all-or-nothing game. The warmer her relations with Putin become in the eyes of the media, the colder they will become with all those who still sympathize with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili or who are disappointed by Russia’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (many more people in Georgia share this latter opinion than the former; and Burdjanadze is unlikely to ignore them).
“Regrettably, very dramatic events have taken place since we last saw each other,” Putin said.
He was also referring to the events in South Ossetia and Abkhazia and, judging by his tone, was ready to get her out of the sensitive position in which she put herself by asking to meet him in Moscow.
“We are ready to work with all democratic forces in Georgia but, regrettably, there are people in the Georgian political leadership with whom we have been unable to build relations,” Putin said.
Putin’s words were restrained and lacked his typical intolerance of anything related to the name of the Georgian president. It was even possible to conclude from his words that it was Putin and Medvedev who failed to build these relations.
Nonetheless, Putin indicated that the tragedy in South Ossetia occurred at the fault of the uncooperative leaders he had just mentioned (he still considers it beneath his dignity to speak the name of the Georgian president), but this reservation was sooner a ritual than any pointed political maneuver. Putin seemed indifferent to his former enemy.
Putin added that a checkpoint had been opened at the border a few days ago, and Burdjanadze emphatically approved. She understands that with time, the reasons and consequences for the act will be confused in the minds of the Georgian people and that credit for this event will go to her personally as a major result of her visit to Moscow.
Burdjanadze agreed that relations are in a deadlock, but she is confident that “it is possible to find a way out.”
Apparently, this is now only possible with her help.
Andrei Kolesnikov
