During the visit in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan Chancellor sets Merkel on Soft Power in a Region, in the hardball is fought.
In the South Caucasus, none can really so with its neighbors. The perceives Europe as a Problem, and Russia as an opportunity. Angela Merkel has stayed for three days in what felt like the front yard of Russian power interests, and it successfully managed to convey all three countries – Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan – the feeling that everything revolves only around you. A view that is shared in all three main cities. Merkel focused mainly on stability in the Region and has its price.
DW-reporter Michaela Kuefner
There is hardly a country in the Region feels the geo-strategic game of power and spheres, so abandoned like Georgia. In a discussion with students in the capital city of Tbilisi, the impatience broke out from the young people, when you’ll finally full-fledged member of the European Union and NATO. Finally, you have made in the economy, but also in the fight against corruption his homework. And in Afghanistan, Georgian troops side-by-side are comrades with NATO. For one of the students, Angela Merkel, was “one of the leader of the free world”. Just of your the message, I expected more.
Deepen and support
As the Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze understanding showed itself to be full. For him, it was not surprising that Merkel was right at the beginning of the journey is clear, that after the Association and free trade agreement with the EU, the basic promise of a future membership in NATO and the visa-free regime for the first time quite a long time to come. Instead, they wanted to deepen and Georgia for the better development of the economic support.
It clearly showed that there is also a model student in Georgia, an invisible border of the development. That Merkel drove to the very real de-facto border with Russia in the breakaway territory of South Ossetia, took one gratefully to the attention. It is also the students who had to wrest the word “crew” after they had spoken in the press conference of “gross injustice” in relation to the occupation of 20 percent of the territory of Georgia.
Cautious clearly
In Armenia avoided Merkel sent it, to use the word “genocide”. Instead, they said, to demand, she visited the memorial for up to 1.5 million murdered Armenians “in the spirit”, the Resolution of the Bundestag, to 2016 expression. This was named the genocide is clear. A significant step of the Chancellor, the word “genocide”, without the risk of sparking a new row with Turkey.
Merkel at the memorial for the murdered Armenians
In Yerevan, the less Merkel as the fresh-from-the Parliament elected as Prime Minister opposition leader, Nikol Pashinyan was the Star then. As the hope of the so-called “Velvet Revolution” Merkel dropped in the evening to your Hotel, called the people to him and not to the German Chancellor. A sign that, after decades of the remote control from Moscow on a private course.
Aware of the new Prime is also little Change in the relationship to Russia, it is delivered in terms of energy policy anyway. Yerevan will not make the Eurasian economic Union with Russia is out of the question, and yet his own free trade agreement with Europe continue to expand. Merkel sees Armenia’s field of tension between democracy and Russian dependence is positive – Armenia can be an example of this is that you can simultaneously have good relations with the European Union and Russia. Previously you had desired him for the future good luck. He will be in need of.
Different views for freedom of the press and human rights issues
Merkel stressed here, as in Azerbaijan, Germany see its role now is “to take responsibility” and to expand its efforts to the solution of the conflict between the two neighbors, the Nagorno-Karabakh Region. Before Merkel’s arrival, the conflict had also provided between Baku and Berlin to Africa. Almost, the journey would have failed, because the Vice-Chairman of the South Caucasus group in the German Bundestag, Albert hamlet, was not allowed to enter due to previous travel to Nagorno-Karabakh. Merkel came anyway. Azerbaijan is convinced that Moscow could resolve the conflict overnight if it wanted to. But that would not be in Russia’s interest – quite the contrary: If the two countries do not have the conflict already, would Moscow have to invent him, in order to secure its sphere of influence. Thus, Armenia is Moscow’s stabilizing influence, and Azerbaijan comes to too many of his own foreign-policy thoughts.
Your own thoughts, even freedom of the press, President Ilhan Aliyev also prohibits self in his country. Dozens of journalists are in prison. At the joint press conference, the Chancellor forbids their standard nod, as Aliyev on the question of the many political prisoners asserts that there is in Azerbaijan, full freedom of the press. Patiently for the Chancellor to hear and draws the attention of the autocrats in the connection that there is in the area of democratic Standards is still pent-up demand, and access for election observers. Behind closed doors, it means you have spoken very openly about human rights. In the same way as on the strategic interests, both of which connect. Gas will flow in the future on the so-called southern corridor from Azerbaijan through Turkey to Italy. A conscious competition to the Nord-Stream-II projects of Germany with Russia. As President Aliyev pledged to the project to fully implement. The EU wants to be when Gas supply is less dependent on Russia – also has its price.