CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 68

IMPERATIVES OF GEORGIAN DIPLOMACY AND COOPERATION OF TBILISI AND…
gratifying that, thanks to the agreement that China and Russia have reached,
these two projects are not competing with each other (at least not in the near
future). On the contrary, both Russia and the PRC are showing a certain
amount of willingness to cooperate, which should lead to a high level of
economic integration in Eurasia. 12 Indeed, the two great Eurasian powers are
trying to find a modus vivendi in the convergence of their innovative
projects. The joint statement between Russia and the PRC about the new
stage of relations in universal partnership and strategic interaction of May
20, 2014, states the following: «Russia believes that China’s initiative to
form a Silk Road Economic Belt is very important and highly values the
willingness of the Chinese side to keep Russian interests in mind during its
development and implementation. The sides will continue to look for ways
to combine the Silk Road Economic Belt and Eurasian Economic Union
projects». 13
If all this happens as planned initiators of the “New Silk Road”, one of
the largest economies in the world may become the center of gravity of the
global investment world.
This initiative successfully coincided with some projects which had
enjoyed official support earlier by Tbilisi. As noted back to February 2007,
the former Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili noted that the construction
of the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway is a “version with proper formatting of
Contemporary Silk Road”, as it will link the South Caucasus region and
Central Asia with the EU. 14 The concept was put forward by National
Security back in 2011. It was stressed that “Georgia considers the
strengthening of its transit role is particularly important”. 15 The current
government is now also in accordance with the opinion that Georgia needs
need to strengthen its role as a transit country, which is also one of the main
priorities in the national economic development strategy, “Georgia –
2020”. 16
12
Wang Shuchun and Wan Qingsong, “The Silk Road Economic Belt and the EEU — rivals
or partners?”, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Vol. 15, Issue 3, (2014), http://www.ca-
c.org/online/2014/ journal_eng/cac-03/01.shtml (accessed April 2, 2019).
13
“Sovmestnoe zajavlenie Rossijskoj Federacii I Kitajskoj Narodnoj Respubliki o novom
étape otnošenij vseob’emljuščego partnjerstva I strategičeskogo vzaimodejstvija”, (in
Russian), [“Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on
a New Phase of Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation”], Prezident Russii,
May 20, 2014, http://kremlin.ru/supplement/1642 (accessed April 2, 2019).
14
“Gruzia, Turcija I Azerbajdžan dogovorilis’ stroit’ «Novyj šjelkovyj put’», (in Russian),
[“Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan have agreed to build a “New Silk Road”], Lenta. Ru,
February 8, 2007, http:// lenta.ru/news/2007/02/07/railways/(accessed April 3, 2019).
15
”National
Security
Concept
of
Georgia”,
Government
of
Georgia,
https://mod.gov.ge/uploads/2018/pdf/NSC-ENG.pdf (accessed April 10, 2019).
16
“Novyj velikij šjelkovyj put’ – kakuju on pol’zu prinesjet Gruzii?”, (in Russian), [“The
New Great Silk Road. How will Georgia benefit?”], Geoinfo – Georgia is always with you,
August 12, 2014, https://www.geomigrant.com/2014/08/12/(accessed March 3, 2019).
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