The deepening crisis in Ukraine over whether to integrate economically with the European Union or Russia is both sowing worry and sparking anti-Russian defiance in Georgia, arguably the last steadily pro-Western Eurasian country east of Moldova. Yet, according to new Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, the Ukraine situation will only serve to further Georgia's integration with the EU.

This year, Georgia has seen two fellow ex-Soviet republics drop out of the pro-Europe club. First, next-door Armenia made a sudden choice to join the Moscow-led Customs Union; now Ukraine has taken a time-out from plans to sign off on a landmark agreement with the European Union.

That means that, instead of the much hoped-for group signing at the November 28-29 summit in Vilnius, Georgia and Moldova will be the only two countries initialing an association-agreement to expand access to the EU.

The loss of Ukraine, arguably the Slavic country with which Georgian ties are chummiest, leaves some feeling a tad vulnerable.

“Ukraine would have been a very serious partner for us at the Vilnius summit. You stand more steadily on your feet when you have such a large country by your side,” said Tina Khidasheli, a senior parliamentarian for the ruling Georgian Dream coalition, Interpressnews reported.*

Georgia's leaders, though, insist that integration with the West is one thing that will not change.

In November 27 comments to reporters, Prime Minister Gharibashvili underlined that the "European path" is "an irreversible process . . . " news outlets reported.

But Georgia, just like its neighbors, is also vulnerable to potential pressure from Moscow -- on matters ranging from exports to the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Nonetheless, progressive Georgians are expressing support for the pro-Europe Ukrainians, now camped out in Kyiv, and many Georgian Facebook users' profiles feature debates on the topic and symbols of solidarity with the protesters. Some members of parliament have worn scarves in the blue and yellow of Ukraine's flag while attending parliament.

The public show of support started on November 24 when a small group of Georgian and Ukrainian protesters gathered outside of Ukraine's embassy in Tbilisi to promote the pro-Europe line. In response, the embassy's second secretary, Dmitry Tretyakov, commented that Ukraine hasn't turned its back on EU integration and expressed a hope that Ukraine and Georgia will both become members of the European Union, Netgazeti.ge reported.

Meanwhile, neighbor Armenia, where opposition to Yerevan's Customs-Union decision remains strong, appears to be keeping an eye on Kyiv, but, like Azerbaijan, which has no ambition to join the EU, staying officially silent. Particularly with Russian President Vladimir Putin slotted to visit Armenia on December 2, a few days after the Vilnius summit. Yet poised for trouble from Putin and pals though they may be, Georgian politicians do not assume that Tbilisi will suddenly do an Armenian-style 360 and exit from the expressway toward Europe. That belief is, in fact, one of the few things that unite both the government and opposition.

Said Saakashvili in a recent interview to The Washington Post, "This region is drifting toward the West regardless of the governments."


---
^{Tina Khidasheli formerly served as board chairperson for the Open Society Georgia Foundation, part of the network of Open Society Foundations. EurasiaNet.org, operated under the auspices of the Open Society Foundation-New York's Central Eurasia Project, is a separate part of that network.}