Sects in Georgia realize interests of the USA and Turkey

Intelligence services of the western and Islamic states actively use religious sects for implementation of the activity in the territory of Georgia. The founder and the head of Institute of Eurasia, the Candidate of Political Sciences Gulbaat Rtskhiladze answers the questions of «The world and we».
— What are actually the religious sects in Georgia and what interests do they pursue, carrying out the activity?
Activity of religious sects in Georgia has the same features as in many other countries — it is the reflection of intelligence services activity. And this situation in the West is not masked at all —the famous expert, the former scout of CIA John Perkins wrote about this role of sects. In the book «Confessions of an Economic Hit Man» he describes the cases when religious sects «protected» activity of intelligence services. In particular, there was a speech about «The Salvation Army». This sect is presented now in Georgia and their activity is extremely opaque.
The same belongs to the most active sect in Georgia «Jehovah's Witnesses» the activity of which is also built extremely opaquely. Their representatives very often go on houses, stop people on streets, trying to hire new supporters. But at the same time, their tasks consist in collection of information, determination of weaknesses of different people.
Also there were such exotic sects in Georgia as «Church of Christian Zionists» which are active in the USA. Our organization started talking about their activity for the first time. The purpose of this sect is the Islamic Republic of Iran. They hire the Iranian citizens, promise a transportation to Europe, in particular, to Great Britain. We wrote about it in detail, our representative under the guise of the journalist came and interviewed them, saw how everything is arranged there.
What especially revolts is that Saakashvili gave the Georgian nationality to these people by the decree who have nothing in common with Georgia. While ethnic Georgians who live in Russia and one of them is the former Minister of Internal Affairs Kakha Targamadze aren’t given the Georgian nationality.
— How actively do the Islamic sects act on the territory of Georgia, considering the increasing intensity in connection with «Islamic State»?
Of course, such sects exist in Georgia too. For example, the representatives of radical Salafism and Wahhabism. They try not to advertise the activity especially. Generally at present they carry out work in the region of Kvemo-Kartli. It is the region occupied mainly by Azerbaijanians. And they, as we know, are the moderate Muslims, generally representatives of the Shiite direction of Islam. But also among Shiites these radical sects try to find the supporters, especially among the youth. They win over a certain part of young people, promising them financing for performance of the tasks set for them. This direction in Georgia is very active too.
At Saakashvili the activity of such sects was encouraged secretly in Georgia as it was the general direction of arrangement to the American intelligence services. And we know it on the example of the same Iraq, Syria, Libya — Americans often find a common language with such radical Islamists and use them for achievement of the destructive purposes. Though, eventually, often it was wrapped against them.
It is impossible to tell that Islamic sects are engaged in directly terrorist activity in Georgia. Our state stops it. There was a case last year when one of such representatives was detained in Adjaria who went to Turkey through Georgia and was engaged in a set of fighters from these radical Islamist groups for the subsequent transportation to Syria.
Now a lot of things depend on development of a situation in the Middle East — what will occur with so-called «Islamic State», will it exist for some time, will it develop. We have fears that people who will come back from this region after participation in military operations can already continue the extremist activity here. And it is a problem for Georgia too.
— What influence on Georgia in the sphere of religious education and the organization of sects is rendered by Turkey?
Turkey has own interests. In tactical sense sometimes they coincide with interests of Americans and the same radical Islamists. But Turkey solves own problems through own educational institutions, for example, the Turkish University in Tbilisi extends the influence among the youth.
Now in Georgia it is often written about a preponderance of the Turkish T. V. series in the Georgian air. It is a way of cultural expansion in interests of the Turkish state too. The image of Turkey as very developed country is now cultivated in Georgia which, as it appeared, during all history always was engaged only in positive affairs.
To some extent it is in the order of things — the big state actively pursues the policy and uses the weak moments of the neighbouring small state. It occurs the relations between Turkey and Georgia. Especially it concerns the region Adjaria which most is exposed to such peaceful expansion of the Republic of Turkey. And it is told much about it in Georgia. The Turkish capital completely dominates among the foreign capital and Georgian becomes less, especially in the city of Batumi and coastal line.
And the youth set is made in mountain Adjaria — averagely one hundred people in a year go to the Turkish educational institutions for receiving religious education due to the Turkish financing. But it isn’t known, what education they will get besides the religious there.
The chief lobbyist of the Turkish interests in Georgia was the mother of the former president Saakashvili. She actively carried out the interests of Turkey in Georgia. And the appearance, multiplication of the Turkish educational institutions is connected with her. And they are urged to propagandize both the Turkish government and ideas of Pan-Turkism, Islamism. These establishments are connected with Fethullah Gulen. This is the Islamic, Turkish preacher who is in the USA now. He closely cooperated with Erdogan, but then there was a conflict between them and now he can’t be in the territory of Turkey. Thus, these Turkish establishments actively interact with the American intelligence services.
— Do the government and intelligence services of Georgia capable to resist to these influences and is some work carried out in this direction?
Operational work is carried out if it is told about interception of any especially dangerous, armed people who can plan the acts of terrorism.
But there is no serious analytical work and that the state systemically treated a problem of sects neither at the level of intelligence services, nor at the level of the government or some public organizations.