A Crack in the Caucasus Wall
Georgia taps its soft power in the North Caucasus to the detriment of Moscow and muted optimism of the locals.
by Valery Dzutsev 17 November 2010
An
infuriated Moscow condemned as "propagandist” and "provocative” the
Georgian government’s move last month to ease entry restrictions for
Russian citizens from seven North Caucasian republics bordering or near
Georgia.
"The aim is to simplify contacts between the bandit underground in
the North Caucasus with the Georgian bandit underground and Georgian
official policy,” Alexander Torshin, deputy head of Russia’s upper
house of parliament, told the Interfax news agency on 13 October, the
day the new rules came into force.
Georgian authorities cited mostly humanitarian and commercial
reasons for the snap decision to allow most Russian citizens living
near the border to enter Georgia for up to 90 days without a visa. The
relaxed regime has not been extended to residents of the Krasnodar
region, which borders the breakaway Abkhazia ...