Unrest in Georgia Could Hamper Western Integration Efforts

Russian and Georgian diplomats Grigory Karasin and Zurab Abashidze will meet April 16 as tensions between the two countries, and between Moscow and the West more generally, continue rising. Demonstrations were held in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on April 13 against Russian actions in Ukraine and alleged pro-Russian forces operating in Georgia. These protests follow recent controversial allegations by Georgian Interior Minister Alexander Tchikaidze that the opposition United National Movement party is attempting to organize groups in order to provoke "Kiev-style" unrest in the country.

As the standoff between Russia and the West continues in Ukraine, Moscow has looked to fuel pro-Russian and anti-Western movements and protest groups across the former Soviet periphery. It is unlikely that Georgia will see a Ukrainian style-uprising in the near future, but the country's domestic political rifts — combined with Russian pressure elsewhere in breakaway or autonomous-minded territories — will serve as a significant stumbling block toward Tbilisi's efforts at closer integration with the European Union and NATO.