Jeffrey Sachs highlights Georgia’s cultural, tourist riches, condemns external trade pressure

Renowned economist and global affairs expert Professor Jeffrey Sachs on Sunday said that people should first look at the map when discussing any region, in response to questions about the false claims suggesting that Georgia has grown too close to Russia.
“Georgia is part of the South Caucasus”, Sachs noted.

He highlighted that at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, Georgia shares its neighborhood with Russia, Turkey, Iran, and the broader Middle East.

“States like Georgia need good relations with all strong regional neighbours. Georgia can serve as a trade corridor connecting north and south, east and west. It is also a tourist hub with an ancient civilisation, rich in cultural and historical treasures in a stunning landscape. The idea that Europe should dictate to Georgia - or to neighbouring Armenia or Azerbaijan - whom they should trade with is absurd and regrettable”, Sachs said.

“A country like Georgia should have strong trade relations with all its neighbours - that is how economics works. Empire is a different matter: from an imperial perspective, the South Caucasus must be divided under the ‘divide and rule’ principle. When Europe says it wants strategic control over the region, that is an utterly abnormal ambition - an ambition shared by the United States as well, and one that the CIA has acted upon in the region for decades”, he continued.

Sachs concluded by emphasising that from this imperial viewpoint, the economic development of Georgia or the South Caucasus was of little interest to the West.

“The only goal of the West is to sow chaos and fear, including through sanctions. Therefore, I believe Europe must stop unlawful pressure and sanctions. Sanctions may be imposed only under the UN Charter, and the European Union has no right to impose sanctions on Georgia bypassing the UN”, he said.