Madle Timm

The global coronavirus crisis is hitting those who are already in a bad state the hardest - the demand for humanitarian aid is growing. More than 10 years have passed since the last refugee crisis in Georgia, but serious socio-economic problems have not disappeared. Unemployment, depression, and reduced food security are just some of them. This year, the Estonian Refugee Council (ERC) started supporting internally displaced Georgian women so that they could start their own sustainable businesses.

Riina Kaljurand, the Estonian ambassador to Georgia, helped dissect the current situation of the Georgian state, coping with the coronavirus crisis, the lives of internally displaced persons, future trends, as well as what we have to learn from each other as countries.

What are the current issues in the Georgian mainstream media?

The mainstream media in Georgia is talking about the current political crisis. As we know, there were parliamentary elections here in the autumn, as a result of which the opposition did not recognize the election results and refused to go to parliament. All this has now culminated in the arrest of the leader of the largest opposition party [Nika Melia], people on the streets and a great deal of ignorance and instability in general. Although the head of the European Union delegation here and the US ambassador have tried to mediate these talks, it is clear by now that this has not been enough. The EU has sent special representatives here, and this is a strong sign that the situation is serious. The average Georgian citizen suffers the most as a result. It would be necessary to deal with the economy at present, the COVID-19 situation is serious. However, all these actually important issues have been relegated to the background and half a year has been spent resolving the political crisis.

Is there a light at the end of this domestic political tunnel, too, or is everything still so vague that one cannot predict anything?

Everyone is really hoping that this light will come, but at the moment it cannot be said that it is closer. Each side had its own red lines and no concessions have been made in those red lines. While the opposition is calling for new elections and the release of political prisoners, the ruling party, the Georgian Dream, which is currently the only party in parliament, has not made concessions on this issue, and everything else seems completely insignificant to both parties. Whether or not this compromise is finally found is exactly 50:50. Everyone is starting to become frustrated, and the international community has already become a target for both sides. Our statements are also instrumentalized in many ways - when you say something, it is used for or against one side or the other. This makes us very careful as well. A very difficult situation.

Is the average person more in favour of the opposition or the ruling party?

The average person is actually quite tired. If we take the figures, a total of 52 percent of the population voted in favour of the opposition parties. However, votes for the Georgian Dream were mainly cast because they were seen to have managed very well with the first wave of COVID-19. Some voted for them purely because the opposition was not able to mobilize enough or come up with a program to vote for. It was safer to take what already existed. The turnout was not too high in itself, 56.1%. The opposition is now pursuing its policies on the streets. It calls for demonstrations, but when you look at the figures of how many people are coming to the streets, there really are not many people. Partly because there is an epidemic and they do not dare to come, but on the other hand, they are also tired and have the sentiment of "but what good is it that we come there if nothing will change anyway?". Rather, as a result of all this, people are losing even more faith in politics and in the institutions that should stand up for their rights. Hopefully, this crisis will not last too long, because otherwise it can be assumed that, whether the next elections are regular or extraordinary, this turnout will be lower.

So, politicians are dealing with things that, according to common sense, should not be on the agenda at the moment. Hence, a question about the coronavirus - Georgia received its first shipment of vaccines less than a month ago. How has Georgia coped with this crisis in general and what is the public's attitude towards vaccines?

A year ago, Georgia was one of the first to implement rather strict measures. I myself came here at the end of February last year, and already then, I was required to fill in questionnaires on the plane. About where I am going, where I am coming from, where I am staying, whether I have been ill recently, and so on. It was not talked about in Estonia then, it arrived in Estonia about a month later. Georgia closed virtually its entire country. There was no movement between the cities, there was a curfew, schools and restaurants, the entertainment facilities were all closed. In fact, the very strict closure ensured that there were extremely few cases of illness. At that time, the daily cases of the infection could be counted on one hand.

Of course, people get tired when sitting at home for 3-4 months. Air connections began to recover gradually in the summer and both tourists and Georgians themselves went on holiday to Batumi [a Georgian resort town by the Black Sea]. This is where the very first wave started in August-September. The situation escalated very seriously, so that in November, when the country went into lockdown again, the number of cases per day was already over 1,000, a record number being over 5,600 per day. And now, only two to three weeks ago, the gradual opening of the country began again. A curfew is still in force.

Of course, the economy has been hit very hard, because Georgia lives off tourism. Only three airlines were allowed to fly here for a very long time. People are very worried, many companies have gone bankrupt - like everywhere else, this is nothing special in that sense. What is different is the availability of vaccines. Georgia has decided to procure all its vaccines through the European Union's [and the World Health Organisation's] Covax platform. The quantities arriving here are simply very small at the moment. They may cover the front line, although Georgia itself is optimistic that 60% of the adult population will have been vaccinated by the end of the year. Otherwise, people are generally positive about vaccination, although there is also uncertainty.

Regardless of the country, those who were already in a weaker position will be hit hardest in the coronavirus crisis. There are a lot of internally displaced people in Georgia. Let us talk a little bit about humanitarian aid - how important is aid from other countries to Georgia, especially in terms of humanitarian aid or development cooperation? To what extent can the state itself support those in need and how much does it rely on external assistance?

According to statistics approved in 2019, humanitarian aid accounted for 0.01 percent of all development cooperation funds. This is a rather small part, development cooperation is a bigger part. But, of course, the COVID-19 situation has changed that picture a lot. Now more humanitarian aid has come. In total, the EU helped Georgia with € 1.5 billion over the past year, the highest per capita support ever. In fact, a lot of money flows in here, the question is whether they reach the right target group and whether they are used correctly. From time to time, we run into the same topics again, that we have gone and trained and given help, but when we go back in a year or two, everything is still the old way, no one remembers - people change very quickly. I think this is the most frustrating moment in providing aid. But to say that there is no help - one cannot.

How much is the focus on internally displaced persons? There have been two major internal refugee crises in Georgia. To what extent do they get a say in the media or make noise themselves?

Unfortunately, the thing with these internally displaced people is that they receive attention, but not positive attention. There are currently roughly 286,000 internally displaced persons in Georgia, which is about 90,000 households. The state has provided about half of them with housing, apartment buildings have been built. They have a concrete place of residence, an address, they are registered. And then there is the other half who do not have this, who are looking out for themselves when it comes to where they can go and how they can manage. The main news that reaches the media is when some refugee families settle in abandoned houses in villages or suburbs. There is some kind of a house, they move in there, but in reality, this house is not habitable, there is no water, sewerage, heat. Then they are thrown out again. The local government starts dealing with them, it will be examined who is registered and who is not. Registration of internally displaced persons is also problematic - in one register there is an indication that the person has everything, in another register there is an indication that they have nothing. There are several parallel information banks that absolutely do not coincide. People are caught between the gears of bureaucracy. There is no unified data system, and so they go from village to village and from region to region, looking for odd jobs, earning a living and living wherever they can. This is being dealt with, but it is all very time-consuming, because there are so many of them. Even when driving around Tbilisi, it is perfectly recognizable in which areas the refugees live – they have their living conditions and life spread out across the same yard. It is sad.

So, I understand that even if other countries offer humanitarian aid and development cooperation projects, this is essentially a relief and assistance to those who are already registered? But those who are still somewhere between the gears of bureaucracy cannot be helped until they have sorted out all the paperwork in their country?

Exactly, you must have a basic structure or system built up. If you have water and you want to pour it, you must have a container in which to pour it. Otherwise, it will just flow out completely without control. I know that many countries are working specifically with certain groups of refugees in several regions and monitor the use of this money themselves. After all, we cannot a year or ten years for Georgia to get everything registered properly. After all, a person needs heat, food, water, and medical care every day.

Estonia has a pretty good reputation in the digital world. During the pandemic, many struggled to switch to distance learning or teleworking, but compared to many other countries, it was still very painless. What is the situation in Georgia? Is access to smart devices and the internet guaranteed for all, or has it only widened the inequality and gap between different sections of society?

This is perhaps not as notable in larger cities. After all, it depends on the specific family, their social security. As in Estonia - if you have more children and fewer opportunities, then it is more difficult for you. But here the contrast between the city and the countryside is very high. This is definitely a problem, with most Georgian schools only opening in March. They were distance learning, online learning, all this autumn. There were some programs and somehow they managed, but here, too, we are talking about a so-called lost year. It is impossible to check how many children have not been able to participate in studies at all. This is a challenge. If we talk about overall digital opportunities, it is gradually improving. Much comes down to legislation. Education is relatively neutral, everyone is interested in giving children access to education.

What could be the things that Estonia and Georgia could learn from each other?

Estonia is quite popular here and our image is very positive. When we come and give advice, it is always very well received. It is another thing whether it will be implemented. The culture here is different, politics and mentality as well. You come and think you are giving them a great tool to help them make life easier, but then they say that while it is nice, we like to communicate with each other, we do not like this digital stuff at all. This optimization and making life more comfortable that are natural for Estonians - in this regard, some traditions or habits disappear, even the culture of communication with each other changes. It absolutely exists here, and I appreciate it. Meanwhile, In Estonia, we should remember that not everything can be put in a box and on a screen. What may frustrate us here from time to time is the Georgian way of thinking that something can also be done tomorrow. Maybe they are happier because they have no high hopes for themselves or others. We could take over this joy of life. At the same time, it is good to see that if an Estonian has decided to do something, they will do it. They will not talk much, will not ramble on, will not flap around, they will just do it. The fields of trade and logistics could definitely be made more digital here - I think that Estonia would have a lot to teach in this respect and there would also be a lot of market for it.

Is climate talked about?

There is not so much talk about the climate here, but that does not mean that it is not a problem. It is simply not talked about in the big media, but it is talked about in the publications of many NGOs and in science. After all, climate change is also affecting Georgia. The threat is both to the east and west of the country. In the east, precipitation is likely to decrease over the years and the area may become a semi-desert. However, this is the main agricultural area, which means that water, vegetation, and everything else will definitely be hit. However, in the west, with a subtropical climate by the Black Sea, precipitation may increase, leading to floods and mudslides from the mountains. In this sense, they are very aware of these dangers. To my surprise, we have also been asked for a lot of help and advice on forestry. From how to manage the forest properly to where it ought to be cut down and where not. We cannot give that much advice on mountainous areas, they ask for it mainly from Switzerland and Austria. Georgians are researching the right way of forest management, looking for contact with the Estonian University of Life Sciences and ways to send their students to study in Estonia. They know that when this nature gets out of their hands, they have nothing left. Fruits and vegetables and their exports are a very big part of their economy.

How much is a person on the street aware of these things? Many companies do greenwashing and it is easily used for commercial purposes - how much real knowledge is there?

This is difficult to assess. There are definitely large corporations here that have a financial interest. Activists and NGOs and researchers are definitely more aware. The younger generation as well, like they are everywhere. Older people are stuck in their habits and comfort zone, they do not feel that they should change their lifestyle in any way. In younger people, this thinking is already changing, which is very positive. I think that all this will take time. Georgia has acceded to the most important conventions concerning the climate and the ecological situation, but I think that the reorientation of the local economy will be very painful and time-consuming.

What are the other priority areas that Georgia is trying to address in the long term?

One of the key words is definitely connectivity - they want to connect their electricity system to Europe. Transport. Energy. They have also set themselves the goal of applying to join the European Union in 2024. This, of course, requires quite radical steps. Georgia is located in a very difficult region - almost all of their current transport and energy connections are rather with Azerbaijan, Russia or Turkey. What has happened in Nagorno-Karabakh will certainly have an impact on how Georgia adjusts its transit in the future.

Education is also definitely a topic, where it is a pleasure to admit that Estonians get involved quite a lot. Here, 15 schools from the first to the last grade have introduced the Estonian curriculum. Now the next phase of this project has begun, where those teachers who have already been trained will in turn train teachers so that Estonia’s experience can be extended to a hundred schools. The Estonian curriculum provides better readiness to enter university, and students have a greater opportunity to enter both local and European universities.

What are Georgians currently happy about?

The weather is improving. In general, the Georgians are a cheerful nation. Even though everything around them is bleak, they are still happy and still like guests. Everyone continues living their little life. They have had a difficult winter for the first time in years. There has not been so much snow in Tbilisi for many years. Now they hope that everything gets warmer and better and then all the problems are forgotten as well.