British journalist: Georgia-Russia dialogue positive but incomplete

"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.

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

"If the vote on the venue of the Winter Olympics had been held in the summer of 2008 rather than a year earlier, the International Olympic Committee would surely not have awarded the 2014 games to a city located right next to a conflict zone,” De Waal said.

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

"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,” he said.

Despite this, positive Russian-Georgian dialogue has succeeded in restoring trade relations and begun discussions surrounding visa-liberalization, but one important conversation never started, de Waal stated.

"The one in which Russia and Georgia talk about the never-ending insurgency in the North Caucasus and what the Georgians can do about it. That would have been good for both security and politics. Instead, the Russian Government's approach to securing the Games has been "Don't talk to the Neighbors". Moscow has actually tightened the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the past year.”

At the end of the article, the British expert noted that this would be remembered as a "missed opportunity” in the future.