CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VIII (2) ContEurVIII2 | Page 36

MANE BABAJANYAN
affect Armenian-Georgian relations and to analyze to what extent those
factors can be regarded as challenges.
The method is mainly qualitative. Secondary data is collected from
the media sources that cover recent developments. The first part is
generally based on the existing academic literature. The second part,
called “Analysis,” is aimed at filling in the gaps of the literature through
primary data. Four interviews were conducted with a questionnaire
designed on the basis of secondary data. First, an expert on Armenian-
Georgian relations answered several questions concerning different
aspects of bilateral relations. Second, representatives of three Armenian
cargo transportation companies were interviewed. The interviewees were
chosen based on purposive sampling.
Foreign Policy Vectors
Unlike Saakashvili’s administration, the policies of today’s
Georgian government are rather cautious in order to avoid antagonizing
Russia. Despite the absence of diplomatic relations, the political elites of
the two states maintain constant communication. Measures have been
undertaken to activate the trade and transportation channels between the
two countries 71 . In 2011, Georgia reached an agreement with a Swiss
company named "Société Générale de Surveillance" (SGS) that provides
for the establishment of three trade corridors between Georgia and
Russia. Two of these corridors run through Abkhazia and South Ossetia,
under SGS monitoring (Switzerland acts as mediator since diplomatic
relations were broken off in 2008) 72 . Finally, in 2018, Russia also signed
a contract with SGS as a condition for its accession to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) that had been previously vetoed by Georgia. 73
However, despite cooperation between Russia and Georgia in the
economic sphere, the two countries still hold fundamentally opposing

71
“Pragmatic but Principled: Georgia Opts for Less Confrontation with Russia And the
EU is Happy with That”, The Economist, January 11, 2018,
https://www.economist.com/europe/2018/01/11/georgia-opts-for-less-confrontation-with-
russia.
72 “Georgia’s Contract with Swiss Company Ensures Implementation of 2011 Russia-
Georgia Cargo Traffic Deal,” Agenda.ge, December 21, 2017,
http://agenda.ge/en/news/2017/2793.
73 Giorgi Menabde, “Abkhazia and South Ossetia ‘Block’ Transit Agreement Between
Russia and Georgia”, The Jamestown Foundation, February 22, 2019,
https://jamestown.org/program/abkhazia-and-south-ossetia-block-transit-agreement-
between-russia-and-georgia/.
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