| Mikheil Saakashvili opened the beach season in Adjara Yesterday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, surrounded by hundreds of supporters along the famous Batumi boulevard, walked onto the beach, raising sea spray. At the same hours, the Adjarian Babu (“grandfather”), long-time ruler of the region Aslan Abashidze, taken to Moscow at night by plane by the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Igor Ivanov, was already counting down the first hours of emigration.
Tbilisi newspapers came out yesterday with headlines: “Giorgoba in November is already in Sukhumi.” Twice a year Georgia celebrates the day of its patron saint, St. George. On November 23 last year, the “Rose Revolution” put an end to the political career of Eduard Shevardnadze, who resigned as president of Georgia after 11 years of rule.
On May 6, the second day of St. George, the same fate befell Aslan Abashidze after 13 years as head of Adjara. Now we are talking about the fact that next November the revolution should be exported to rebellious Abkhazia.
In Sukhumi, where a change of political elite will take place in the fall (in October in the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia there will be presidential elections), these forecasts are not inspiring. Abkhazian Defense Minister Vyacheslav Eshba told VN that the attempt to export the revolution will not work. “Adjarians are the same Georgians; as for Georgia and Abkhazia, these are different states,” said the head of the military department. - We understand each other only when we speak Russian. So let’s better think about how to build normal good neighborly relations.” And the President of Abkhazia, Vladislav Ardzinba, harshly warned: “We are determined to fight for the freedom and independence of Abkhazia and have all the necessary means for this.”
There are also signs of nervousness about Mr. Abashidze's peaceful departure from power in another former Georgian autonomy, South Ossetia, which declared itself a sovereign state more than a decade ago. However, its independence was never recognized. Speaker of the Parliament of South Ossetia Stanislav Kochiev understands that “Mikhail Saakashvili’s statements about the priority of restoring the territorial integrity of Georgia in relation to the separated territories may be followed by any actions, even forceful ones.”
The foreign ministers of Georgia and Russia tried to dispel these fears yesterday after their meeting in Moscow. Salome Zurabishvili emphasized that “there is no connection between Adjara and Abkhazia.” She explained that “there was no conflict in Adjara that developed on the basis of separatism.” Let us note that a certain dissonance to this sounded from the statement of the President of Georgia made the day before in Batumi, after Abashidze’s resignation: “separatism has not passed” in Adjara... And Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, commenting on the prospect of an Abkhaz settlement, noted that Moscow “invariably and consistently proceeds from respect for the territorial integrity of Georgia.” This statement cannot but please the ears of the Georgian leadership, since it can be interpreted as an unequivocal promise from Moscow to continue to exert political pressure on Sukhumi in order to persuade it to make concessions in negotiations with Tbilisi.
As for Russian-Georgian relations themselves, yesterday’s meeting between Sergei Lavrov and Salome Zurabishvili, according to the Vremya Novostei newspaper, could lead to a sharp revival of dialogue on the problem of Russian military bases in Georgia and the conclusion of a new “big” agreement between Moscow and Tbilisi . The Georgian side proposed resuming negotiations on the bases on May 11, and on the agreement - in mid-May. But first, Moscow must decide on the candidacy of a new Russian co-chairman of the joint Russian-Georgian commission. Former co-chairman Ilya Klebanov has now been appointed presidential envoy for the Northwestern District.
But for now, revolutionary euphoria reigns in Tbilisi and Adjara. At the same time, the Georgian authorities are trying to prevent looting and a “witch hunt” from among those supporters of Aslan Abashidze who, like, for example, MGB Minister Joseph Gogitidze, were loyal to him until the last moment and did not leave the autonomy. However, Abashidze’s two-story residence in the center of Batumi has already been looted by the victorious opposition. The chair of the former head of Adjara was burned on the boulevard at the foot of the monument to his ancestor Memed Abashidze. A representative of Aslan Abashidze’s inner circle, who asked not to give his last name, told VN that “repressions are inevitable—they are already calling with curses and threats.” “Mr. Abashidze, a true patriot, was expelled from Georgia, as was done several years ago with the country’s first president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, who is only now being given his due. Time will pass, and Aslan will also be deified, having appreciated his role, but it will be too late,” he said.
So far, only the former brigade commander of the 25th brigade of the Georgian Ministry of Defense, 38-year-old Major General Roman Dumbadze, has been arrested “for treason to the Motherland” and taken to Tbilisi. In early April, he left the center and declared allegiance exclusively to Aslan Abashidze.
In all likelihood, President Saakashvili will remain in autonomy until the beginning of next week. He will head the Interim Council for the preparation of early elections to the parliament of Adjara, which are planned for mid-June. Internal troops have been brought into Batumi from other regions of Georgia. The militias and armed formations subordinate to Aslan Abashidze are beginning to hand over their weapons: whoever does not hand them over within a week will be subject to criminal prosecution. The road bridges leading to the autonomy, which were blown up by the Adjarian authorities in a panic on May 2, are being restored. Mine clearance is underway at strategic sites that the Adjarian authorities have stuffed with “infernal machines.”
As for Aslan Abashidze himself, as ex-prime minister of the autonomy Rostom Japaridze said, “the former leader of Adjara will not ask for political asylum in Russia.” The Tbilisi media are already looking for a place where Mr. Abashidze will settle. The Alia newspaper, citing its sources, writes that he owns property in England, Germany, Turkey, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. Most likely, according to sources, Aslan Abashidze will move to Austria, where he has a business in the resort sector. The publication notes that the ex-leader of Adjara, through dummies from his inner circle, owns hotels in Mallorca and Madrid, a betting shop and a hotel in Italy. Mikhail VIGNANSKY, Tbilisi, Arkady DUBNOV |
|
