Moscow Makes a New Step for Annexation of Georgian Territories

(Giorgi Menabde – The Jamestown Foundation) Russia and the de facto government of Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali Region (South Ossetia) signed the Treaty on Deepening Allied Cooperation on May 9, essentially allowing Moscow gain more control of the region and use it as a tool of pressure on Tbilisi. Moscow is toughening its policy toward Georgia amid major changes in the South Caucasus, the drift of Armenia and Azerbaijan toward the West, and its ongoing war against Ukraine. This step demonstrates the futility of the policy of appeasement and complete loyalty that the Georgian leadership is pursuing toward Russia, in hopes of reciprocal steps from the Kremlin. – Moscow Makes a New Step for Annexation of Georgian Territories – Jamestown