ASSESSMENTS

Despite Fears, Georgia Is Still the West's Partner

Oct 30, 2015 | 09:15 GMT

Despite Fears, Georgia Is Still the West's Partner
Georgian soldiers stand in formation at the inauguration of the NATO-Georgian Joint Training and Evaluation Center in Krtsanisi outside Tbilisi.

(VANO SHLAMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Georgia is looking to hike up its imports of Russian natural gas, and Tbilisi's long-time partners in Azerbaijan and the West are growing concerned. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is scheduled to visit Georgia on Nov. 6 to discuss energy cooperation, at a time when Georgia's controversial negotiations with Russia have called into question its traditional reliance on Azerbaijan as both an energy supplier and strategic partner. In reality, though, it is unlikely that Georgia will meaningfully shift its foreign policy away from Azerbaijan and the West and toward Russia. Practical and commercial considerations on Tbilisi's part, however, could spur closer energy and economic cooperation between Georgia and Russia in the coming years....

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