RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND GEORGIA HAVE LONG BEEN STRAINED, BUT THE SITUATION APPEARED
TO BE IMPROVING THIS YEAR WHEN RUSSIA LIFTED A SEVEN YEAR-OLD BAN ON GEORGIAN WINE AND
RE-OPENED ITS BORDERS TO GEORGIAN MINERAL WATER.
THEN, THE PROGRESS HIT A STUMBLING BLOCK.
RUSSIA BLAMED AN EPIDEMIC SPREADING INTO THE SOUTH OF THE COUNTRY ON A U.S.-FUNDED LABORATORY
IN GEORGIA, AND SAID IT WOULD BLOCK IMPORTS OF GEORGIAN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
BUT AS OUR MOSCOW CORRESPONDENT JIM BROOKE TOLD ME, POLITICS - NOT SCIENCE - MAY BE BEHIND
THE NEW TRADE FIGHT.
TAKE A LOOK.
JIM, WHAT ARE RUSSIAN'S CONCERNS ABOUT THIS LAB IN GEORGIA?
ALEX, THEY REALLY INVENTED CONCERNS.
THE HEAD OF CONSUMER PROTECTION IN RUSSIA HAS SAID THIS LAB INFECTED SOUTHERN RUSSIA
WITH AFRICAN SWINE FLU.
HE'S REPEATED THESE ACCUSATIONS SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST TEN WEEKS.
IT SEEMS TO BE A WAY TO PUT THE GEORGIANS ON GUARD, ON THE DEFENSIVE IN A WAY THE RUSSIANS
ARE USING TO BLOCK IMPORTS OF GEORGIAN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, WHICH ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR
GEORGIAN ECONOMY.
THE GEORGIANS SHOWED VOA AROUND THEIR NEW LABORATORY COMPLEX, THE RICHARD G. LUGAR CENTER
FOR PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH.
OWNED BY GEORGIA'S NATIONAL CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL, THE LAB TRACKS POLIO, MEASLES AND
OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
GENERAL DIRECTOR AMIRAN GAMKRELIDZE REJECTS THE ACCUSATIONS COMING FROM MOSCOW.
"WE HAVE NO SECRETS HERE.
NOTHING IS HERE.
WE ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING CONNECTED WITH BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS."
AND THIS ALLEGATION OF BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS PRODUCTION AT THIS U.S. FUNDED LAB SEEMS TO
BE A BIT IRONIC.
SO WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
THE RUSSIANS USE OF THESE SET OF NONTRADITIONAL WAYS OF BLOCKING TRADE WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS
AS THEIR ECONOMIC LEVER AGAINST THEIR NEIGHBORS.
JUST IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS WE'VE SEEN THE SAME HEAD OF CONSUMER PROTECTION BLOCKING
PRODUCTS FROM UKRAINE, CHOCOLATES, ETCETERA, BLOCKING PRODUCTS FROM BELARUS, NOTABLY MILK.
THESE ARE REALLY TRADE WARS THEY ARE USING TO PRESSURE THE UKRAINIANS TO STAY AWAY FROM
WESTERN EUROPE AND JOIN A COMMERCIAL UNION WITH RUSSIA.
MANY WESTERN NATIONS HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERNS ABOUT RUSSIA AND ITS COMPLIANCE OR POTENTIAL
NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION.
SO HOW DOES THAT SORT OF BACK AND FORTH PLAY INTO THIS?
FIRST OF ALL, IN TERMS OF SYRIA, THE RUSSIANS ARE STRONGLY DOWNPLAYING ANY INVOLVEMENT IN
THE PREPARATION OF CHEMICALS THAT SYRIANS MAY HAVE USED.
WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT DURING THE SOVIET PHASE FROM THE LATE 1980S THE SOVIET HELPED THE
SYRIANS CREATE THEIR CHEMICAL WEAPONS, ARMAMENTS MUNITIONS.
MANY CHEMICALS WERE SIMPLY BOUGHT WHOLESALE FROM THE WEST, BUT THE EXPERTISE WAS SOVIET'S
AND THE DESIGN OF THE WEAPON SYSTEMS IS VERY MUCH SOVIET.
ANOTHER ASPECT OF YOUR REPORT IS TALKING ABOUT THE UPCOMING GEORGIAN ELECTION.
WHAT KIND OF ROLE DO WE THINK WE'LL SEE A NEW PRESIDENT PLAY IN THE TRADE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN RUSSIA AND GEORGIA?
WELL, ALEX, ONCE AGAIN THE PROBLEMS AT THE LAB AND ACCUSATIONS AGAINST GEORGIA IS REALLY
TO PUT THE GEORGIANS ON DEFENSIVE AND TO REMIND THEM WHO IS THEIR POWERFUL BIG NEIGHBOR.
AND THE MESSAGE IS ELECT SOMEONE WHO WOULD BE NICE TO RUSSIA AND YOU'LL HAVE NORMAL TRADE
RELATIONS.
IF YOU ELECT ANOTHER MISHA SAAKASHVILI, YOU MAY END UP WITH A WAR AT YOUR HAND, AT LEAST
A TRADE WAR AND ECONOMIC STAGNATION AND BACKWARDNESS.
AND WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WE'LL SEE TRANSPIRE IN THE FUTURE DESPITE THIS SETBACK?
WILL THE TRADE RELATIONSHIP IMPROVE?
ALEX, YES I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS SIMPLY A WARNING SHOT TO GEORGIAN PUBLIC OPINION, "THIS
IS WHAT WE CAN DO IF" PARALLEL.
OUT OF THE SIGHT OF THE CAMERAS THE RUSSIANS HAVE SENT INSPECTION TEAMS TO CHECK OUT GEORGIAN
FARMS AND VEGETABLE AND FRUIT PROCESSING CENTERS.
SO WE REALLY THINK THAT IT'S UNDER FOOT, FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE EXPORTS OF FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES NORTH TO RUSSIA AND ONCE AGAIN RUSSIA HAS THE POPULATION ABOUT 20 TIMES THE
SIZE OF GEORGIA'S.
IT'S A HUGE MARKET FOR GEORGIA, AND VERY IMPORTANT FOR GEORGIANS.
AND AGAIN THAT'S VOA CORRESPONDENT AND MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF, JIM BROOKE.