Carnegie: “Sochi and Georgia: A Missed Opportunity”

"Sochi and Georgia: A Missed Opportunity” is the title of an article published by Thomas de Waal on the website of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in Moscow on February 5.

The British journalist and expert in Caucasus issues believed Russia "was lucky” to have been granted hosting rights of the Winter Olympics in 2007.

He said had the United National Movement won in the Georgian Election in 2012, the Government would almost have definitely boycotted the Olympics. However, the new Georgian Dream-led Government decided to attend the Games in an attempt to depoliticize the event.

The most recent opinion poll says that 66 percent of Georgians approve of their country participating in the games and only 17 percent disapprove. For a moment in 2012, it looked as though the Sochi Games could become the "peace games”, the pretext for a real rapprochement between Moscow and Tbilisi. But this was not to be.|/

Read the full article on: www.carnegieendowment.org