David Goginashvili: What Kind of Country is Georgia?

2018/05/01

In the 21st century, Georgia has captured the world's attention twice. The first was the so-called "Rose Revolution," which saw the establishment of the pro-Western Saakashvili administration. The second was five years later, in August 2008, when the Russo-Georgian War broke out in South Ossetia (a breakaway region of Georgia).

In Japan, it became a topic of conversation in 2015 when the Japanese government changed the country's name from "Gurujia" to "Jo-jia" (Georgia). Furthermore, news broke in 2016 that 8,000-year-old wine vessels had been excavated in Georgia, and in 2017, it was reported that Georgia was globally recognized as the birthplace of wine. Then, in January 2018, the first victory of Georgian-born Tochinoshin in the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament was widely covered by the media. While awareness of Georgia in Japan is gradually improving, it is still an unfamiliar country to many in Japan and is considered one of the world's hidden gems.

This article explains Georgia's history and culture, its international situation and relationship with Japan, and the identity and national character of the Georgian people.

Georgia is located on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, a range of 5,000-meter peaks in the Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The Caucasus region, also known as the "Crossroads of Civilizations," has a 3,000-year history and has always been a strategic point for trade and transportation between Asia and Europe, where diverse ethnic groups and religions have continuously intermingled.

Georgia, the geographical and political center of the Caucasus region, has an area of 69,700 km², which is slightly smaller than Japan's Hokkaido. To the north, it is surrounded by republics of the Russian Federation such as Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, and North Ossetia; to the east and southeast, it borders Azerbaijan; to the south, it borders Armenia and Turkey; and to the west, it faces the Black Sea. Sandwiched between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains to the north and south, it is a country with diverse climates and landscapes ranging from subtropical regions to semi-deserts.

The population is approximately 3.7 million. In addition to Georgians, the country is home to Armenians, Azeris, Russians, Ossetians, Abkhazians, Kurds, Greeks, and others, with about a quarter of the total population concentrated in the capital, Tbilisi. The official language is Georgian, which belongs to the extremely unique South Caucasian language family. The official script is the Georgian alphabet, which is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site and has a history of over 2,000 years.

While Georgia has the advantage of being a strategic trade hub, it has also faced the disadvantage of being constantly invaded by major powers seeking to seize that advantage.

Georgia has been occupied numerous times by major powers such as the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, Persia, the Arabs, the Ottoman Turks, the Mongols, and Russia. In a difficult geopolitical situation, Georgians have strictly preserved their unique culture and language to save their identity.

As can be seen from the map, Georgia is located at the easternmost edge of the Christian world and was constantly in conflict with ethnic groups of different religions. Therefore, along with language, Orthodox Christianity was an indispensable element of the Georgian sense of identity.

In the 19th century, Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire. The Russian Empire plotted to control the Caucasus, leading to the "Caucasian War" which lasted for decades; East Georgia was annexed in 1801, and by the 1860s, even West Georgia was brought under control. It is said that by being placed under the rule of the Russian Empire, which shared the same Orthodox Christianity, Georgia was able to avoid wars with neighboring Islamic ethnic groups who were its arch-enemies and gained peace. However, more terrifyingly, the Georgian identity, which had been protected for centuries, faced the crisis of extinction.

Because the need to protect Christianity themselves had disappeared, the Georgian sense of identity had become dull. In the latter half of the 19th century, a new generation of intellectuals educated in places like St. Petersburg (at the time) and Paris launched an enlightenment movement, revived literature, and restored education in the forbidden Georgian language, leading to an increased consciousness of independence.

The influence of literature on the Georgian national character is particularly remarkable. While 19th-century literature is one example, it is believed that the epic poem "The Knight in the Panther's Skin," written by the 12th-century author Shota Rustaveli, was the first to create a common way of thinking for the entire Georgian nation. This work has been copied and studied in monasteries and universities for 800 years and has been passed down orally through generations even among illiterate commoners. There is a saying that Georgians protected "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" and at the same time "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" protected Georgia; this epic has influenced the formation of concepts regarding Georgian culture, identity, chivalry, and the position of women in society. Today, "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" has been translated into many languages, including Japanese, and is considered one of the masterpieces of world literature.

Georgia achieved independence in 1918, and the first Georgian democratic state was founded. In other words, Georgia celebrates its 100th anniversary of statehood this year. At that time, many countries, including Russia, recognized Georgia as an independent state. In January 1921, Japan, Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, and others recognized Georgia de jure, but the following month, the Russian Red Army invaded Georgia. As a result, it was occupied by Russia and became one of the republics constituting the Soviet Union for about 70 years. However, the momentum for independence was high from the beginning of its incorporation into the USSR, and in the 1980s, the independence movement became active along with the Baltic states, finally achieving independence again in 1991.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, military conflicts with Russia arose in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and a civil war broke out in Tbilisi. Georgia, in turmoil due to the war with Russia and the civil war, fell into a state of economic and political crisis, while simultaneously facing problems such as complete corruption of government institutions and high crime rates. The author lived in Tbilisi during that era and witnessed the horrors firsthand.

In 2003, as a result of the non-violent so-called "Rose Revolution" in Georgia, a new generation of government educated in the West was established. The new administration first implemented fundamental reforms of government institutions. As a primary goal, they took strict measures to abolish corruption, and Georgia, which was once a symbol of corruption, became a prominent example of a country fighting corruption issues.

At the same time, approximately 75,000 out of 85,000 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were dismissed, and for two to three months, until new employees were trained and hired, there were not even police officers to monitor traffic. No one with a previous career as a police officer was newly hired. The new police received a higher level of training, and equipment such as patrol cars and police stations were improved. Ultimately, the number of Ministry of Internal Affairs employees decreased to 26,000, but salaries increased more than tenfold. As a result of the reforms, two years after the Rose Revolution, the police's trust rating in society rose from 10% to 70%, and the crime rate began to drop sharply.

For Georgia, which was called a "Failed State" with poor technological development and few natural resources, the options for achieving economic development were limited. That was to create an unprecedentedly free environment for both domestic and foreign businesses.

Georgia was remarkably successful in solving all problems that hindered business, such as taxes and bureaucracy, along with customs duties. According to World Bank statistics, in terms of creating an environment easy to do business in, Georgia jumped from 122nd to 15th place in a few years, overtaking countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. It currently occupies 9th place.

With the implementation of policies such as the rule of law, reduction of corruption levels, and market liberalization, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) exploded. Three years after the revolution, FDI increased fivefold, with particularly notable development in the fields of services (tourism), energy, and agriculture. Georgia, which was once an energy importer, now exports electricity to Russia.

As this miraculous economic development was achieved and relations with the West became closer, relations with Russia deteriorated further. There were economic sanctions by Russia in 2006, but the following year, Georgia's economic growth rate rose to 12%. The dynamism of these developments was thwarted by the Russo-Georgian War that broke out in 2008 and the overlapping financial crisis. However, through aid from the international community and the promotion of reforms continued from before the war, the GDP growth rate, which had shown negative figures, turned positive again.

Currently, Georgia aims to join Western international organizations as a liberal democratic state and is promoting development in all economic sectors. Along with the development of agriculture and industry, it is investing in human resource development in education, especially in technical fields such as IT. Furthermore, with its rich history, culture, nature, unique food culture and wine (the history of Georgian wine-making methods dates back 8,000 years and is recognized as a World Intangible Heritage), and good public safety, it has become a major tourism destination that attracts many travelers. In 2017, the number of travelers visiting Georgia exceeded 7 million, far surpassing the country's population.

The first contact between Japan and Georgia was during the Imperial Russian era. One of the Japanese consulates in the Russian Empire was located in the Georgian town of Batumi on the Black Sea coast. In the early 20th century, there was an event where Japan and Georgia cooperated in anti-Russian activities in Georgia. Historical documents remain showing that Japan financially supported Georgian independence movement groups trying to smuggle weapons from Europe, as the interests of Japan and Georgia, both hostile to the Russian Empire at the time, aligned. During the independence era of 1918-1921, Japan also recognized Georgia de facto and de jure, and friendly relations were established.

In the crisis that occurred after the restoration of independence in 1991, Japan appeared as a donor country, and since the late 90s in particular, Japan has been one of the largest donor countries to Georgia. In terms of trade, automobiles, parts, and tires are imported from Japan, while wine, mineral water, honey, and kiwi are exported from Georgia to Japan. Furthermore, Georgia provides a convenient route for trade with Japan for landlocked Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as parts of Central Asia and the North Caucasus.

While the figures in trade statistics are rising every year, the economic relationship between the two countries is still extremely shallow, and it can be said that there is much room for development in terms of investment relations, trade and logistics, and cooperation between private sectors.

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.