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Kocharian Congratulates Reelected Georgian Leader

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  • Kocharian Congratulates Reelected Georgian Leader

    KOCHARIAN CONGRATULATES REELECTED GEORGIAN LEADER
    By Karine Kalantarian and Ruben Meloyan in Tbilisi

    Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
    Jan 8 2008

    President Robert Kocharian has "wholeheartedly" congratulated Mikheil
    Saakashvili on his victory in Georgia's disputed presidential election,
    his office said on Tuesday.

    "I am confident that you will continue reforms aimed at Georgia's
    stability, democratization and economic development," Kocharian said
    in a letter sent to Saakashvili late Monday and made available to
    RFE/RL the next day.

    Kocharian also reaffirmed Armenia's commitment to deepening political
    and economic ties with Georgia. "Peace and development of regional
    cooperation is the main guarantee of stability in the South Caucasus,"
    he wrote.

    Kocharian and Saakashvili have met regularly -- usually in an informal
    format -- to discuss issues of mutual interest ever since the latter
    swept to power in 2004 in Georgia's popular "rose revolution." Their
    most recent talks took place in the Georgian resort city of Batumi
    and the Armenian ski resort of Tsaghkadzor in September and March
    2007 respectively.

    Speaking to foreign journalists in Tbilisi on Sunday, Saakashvili
    described as "excellent" his country's relationships with Armenia as
    well as Azerbaijan. "Georgia has never been as close to Armenia and
    Azerbaijan as it has during my presidency, and I think [those ties]
    will grow even stronger," he said. He also said that Georgia will
    serve as a "bridge" between its two estranged South Caucasus neighbors.

    Kocharian congratulated Saakashvili before the official announcement
    of the final results of the Georgian presidential election held on
    Saturday. Its preliminary results showed Saakashvili winning a second
    term in office with 52 percent of the vote. His nearest rival, Levan
    Gachechiladze, came in a distant second with about 25 percent.

    Western monitors described the ballot as largely democratic, saying
    that irregularities witnessed by them did not influence the overall
    outcome. The positive assessment was echoed by the United States,
    the European Union and NATO.

    Georgian opposition leaders, however, reject the official vote results
    as fraudulent, saying that Saakashvili should at least face a run-off
    with Gachechiladze. Gachechiladze and his allies marched into the
    offices of the Central Election Commission in Tbilisi on Tuesday,
    accusing it of "stealing" as many as 500,000 votes.

    Tbilisi-based leaders of Georgia's Armenian community are similarly
    divided in their evaluation of the election conduct. Van Bayburt,
    a pro-Saakashvili member of the Georgian parliament, called the vote
    the most democratic in Georgia's history. "Unfortunately, since 1991
    a part of Georgian society has grown used to ousting constitutionally
    elected presidents," Bayburt told RFE/RL, commenting on the opposition
    allegations.

    But Arnold Stepanian, a community leader who supports another
    opposition candidate, had a different taken on the Georgian political
    crisis. "These elections were just as flawed as the ones held before
    2004," he said.
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