CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 63

BENIAMIN MAILYAN BENIAMIN MAILYAN IMPERATIVES OF GEORGIAN DIPLOMACY AND THE COOPERATION OF TBILISI AND BEIJING Abstract: The article considers the characteristics and key aspects of cooperation between Georgia and China. It celebrates the success of these countries in the institutionalization of economic contacts, which is the core of Beijing's initiative to form a pool around its project, “Economic Zone — the new Silk Road”. At the same time, it emphasizes that the potential for cooperation between the Georgian and Chinese sides has only just started gaining momentum. Its rapid development in the near future promises to change the configuration of some of Georgia's foreign policy doctrine, which is now focused exclusively on the Western community of nations. The country of the Golden Fleece is clearly looking at themselves as the main partner of China in the South Caucasus region. The active participation of the Georgian side in the implementation of China's geo-economic models in the near future promises to make the issue of accession of Georgia to NATO and the EU not as relevant as it is today. Georgia's foreign policy strategy will be influenced by agreements signed in the framework of the partnership between China and Russia on the multi- vector model of transportation of goods and resources within the framework of the convergence of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt. Keywords: Georgia, China, cooperation, transit corridor, alternative project, economic zone Introduction The modern system of international relations is at the design stage, undergoing various modifications, stimulated by centripetal and centrifugal tendencies. The world is becoming increasingly fragmented, and conflict and uncontrollability are increasing in world politics. The West-centrist scheme of international relations no longer corresponds to the realities of the 21st century, turning into only one of the diverse segments of the global space of international relations. Eurasian space is, apparently, in the process of forming entirely new geo-economic and geo-civilizational models, which certainly requires going to completely different geopolitical perimeters and principles of cooperation. In this regard, the design of a new security structure should be a condition for achieving stability and peaceful development in the South Caucasus. Integration processes can play a significant role in this, provided that they are not the result of bloc 63