On August 6, 2020, 2 days before the tragic anniversary of Russia's aggression against Georgia in 2008, US Ambassador to our country Kelly Degnan and President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili visited the Samtskhe-Javakheti region. Although the trip was formally part of the “Discover Georgia” campaign to promote domestic tourism, it was clear that the goals of the trip are of much greater importance not only for Georgia but for the entire South Caucasus region.

Recall that the Southern Energy Corridor (including the TANAP gas pipeline, which is strategically important for the supply of natural gas from the Caspian region) passes through Samtskhe-Javkheti, as well as through the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan recently subjected to Armenian aggression. This is not to mention other communications, in particular the Baku-Tbilisi Kars railway.

The recent sharp aggravation of the military situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the Tovuz region has once again shown that the energy communications passing through the South Caucasus region may be under attack. Especially in conditions when there is an aggressive regime in Yerevan that openly claims on the territory of neighboring countries.

The Azerbaijani army managed to repel the Armenian military aggression in Tovuz. But this does not mean that they will not try to cut the strategically important corridor elsewhere. Namely, in the Georgian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, where, as is known, extremely strong separatist sentiments.

It was not by chance that US Ambassador Kelly Degnan visited the region on the eve of the 12th anniversary of Russian aggression against Georgia. Then, 12 years ago, the Armenian "Javakhk" separatists here very much hoped for a push by the Russian army to the south of Georgia in order to raise a separatist rebellion.

However, the selflessness of the Georgian soldiers slowed down the "victorious march" of the aggressors through the territory of Georgia. Moreover, the Russian military base from Akhalkalaki, on which the separatists could rely, had by that time been withdrawn, and Georgian law enforcement agencies neutralized a number of leaders of the separatist underground.

As a result, 12 years ago Georgia avoided the catastrophe and dismemberment of the territory, which the “Javkhk” Armenian separatists dreamed of.

Not least, this happened also because the Republican Party was in power in the United States (as it is now) and US President George W. Bush spoke out strongly against Russian aggression in Georgia. Although the Armenian lobby in the United States at that time almost openly supported the plans of Armenian nationalists to dismember Georgia and launch the "Karabakh scenario" in relation to Samtskhe-Javakheti. Then the Armenian lobby in the US, connected with the Democratic Party, failed to get the US authorities to "surrender" Georgia. As a result, the occupants limited themselves to the complete occupation of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, most of which had not been controlled by Georgia anyway.

It should not be forgotten that projects to ensure Europe's energy security, in particular the Southern Energy Corridor, are also hitting according to the Kremlin's plan to have “gas levers of influence” on Europe. Not least thanks to this project, Gazprom's southern and northern streams failed as a way of influencing Europe's energy security.

In fact, Gazprom “buried” billions of dollars on the seabed in vain. And in order for these projects to be in demand again, the Kremlin and its situational "allies" will completely decide on a provocative step - to cut the Southern Energy Corridor so that the Europeans will again "bow" to the Kremlin and Gazprom. If for this it is necessary to dismember and destroy Georgia, as the Armenian nationalists want, they can go for it. That is why it is so important today to ensure political stability in the South Caucasus region and peaceful resolution of existing conflicts with the restoration of the territorial integrity of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Therefore, the United States, represented by the recently appointed US Ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, by Donald Trump, paid such attention to stability in the key and most explosive region of Georgia due to separatism - Samtskhe-Javakheti.

The US Ambassador formally came to study the tourism potential of Samtskhe-Javakheti. However, other regions of Georgia are extremely promising in terms of tourism development. Everything suggests that, first of all, the visit of the US ambassador was supposed to show those who seek to foment separatism and war in the South Caucasus region that the US is now behind the stability and territorial integrity of sovereign states. The White House does not intend to disregard the activity of separatists and warmongers.

It is no coincidence that Kelly Degnan's visit to Samtskhe-Javakheti took place just two weeks after the separatists in Akhalkalaki organized their provocative events, having gathered several thousand people at a rally supposedly "for peace" in connection with the conflict on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. However, at the rally nationalist provocative anti-Azerbaijani and anti-Turkish slogans were heard. The day before, the separatists tried to blockade the military unit of the Georgian army in Akhalkalaki, located on the site of the former Russian military base.

The case obviously went to the incitement by the Armenian separatists of another "hot spot" on the territory of Georgia, to which, as well as to Armenia, carrying out aggression against Azerbaijan, the "military corridor" could well have been breached by the occupying Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region of Russia. Such prospects have caused serious concern for the United States and its allies in the region. The leading of which, as you know, is NATO member Turkey.

By the visit of the ambassador to the explosive region, the United States once again emphasized that they would not allow destabilization here. But at the same time, Georgia and Georgian patriots must understand that it is not enough to rely on US assistance alone. There should be counteraction to separatism at all levels, separatist organizations should be neutralized, the propaganda of separatism, xenophobia, and incitement of ethnic and religious hatred should be prohibited. In other words, everything that provocateurs associated with the special services of Yerevan and the Russian Federation have been actively engaged in lately.

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