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Tbilisi Is Still Taking Pokes At Russia

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  • Tbilisi Is Still Taking Pokes At Russia

    TBILISI IS STILL TAKING POKES AT RUSSIA
    by Viktor Ruchkin

    Source: Krasnaya zvezda, April 28, 2006, p. 1
    Agency WPS
    DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
    May 3, 2006 Wednesday

    RUSSIAN ARMY HAS PROBLEMS CONCERNING SAFE WITHDRAWAL OF THEIR TROOPS
    AND AMMUNITION FROM GEORGIA; Tbilisi will not help Russia to withdraw
    its army and military equipment from Georgia. Georgia Akhalkalakskiy
    region citizens blocked the highway protesting against troops
    withdrawal. Georgia Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili
    remarked that Georgian authorities guarantee that no protest meetings
    would be conducted by citizens against the base withdrawal from
    Akhalkalaki. Georgia Minister of Foreign Affairs Gela Bezhuashvili
    stated the other day that relationships between Russia and Georgia
    are far not of good neighbors.

    It was clear from the very beginning that Tbilisi would not take care
    of safe withdrawal of Russian army from Georgia. (...) Not much time
    has passed until this was proved.

    Last Wednesday tens of Georgia Akhalkalakskiy region citizens blocked
    the highway and made it impossible for communication troops cars,
    belonging to Russian 62nd military base, to go to Armenia. That
    was the way they voiced their protest against withdrawal of Russian
    troops. Most of the citizens served at the Russian military base,
    and now they will have no means of living. As is known, the group
    of local citizens had a meeting with the base command and told them,
    that until Georgia solves all the existent problems, namely the problem
    of the safe life of the Armenians living in the region and employing
    them, they would not allow Russian military equipment and ammunition
    to leave the region. "If necessary, we will make all citizens of
    Samtskhe-Dzhavakheti region take part in this action of protest",
    stressed the people.

    The base command appealed to the local police command and Ministry of
    Internal Affairs with a request to take care of the safe withdrawal
    of military equipment. However, Georgian authorities refused to take
    any measures saying this was not their responsibility. Moreover,
    Georgia Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili stated, that
    the Russian side would be responsible for any problems or difficulties
    when withdrawing the bases. Only after Russian Ministry of Foreign
    Affairs reminded Georgia about its responsibilities according to the
    signed agreement and expressed hope about Georgian authorities taking
    measures in Akhalkalaki, Tbilisi agreed to act accordingly.

    Namely, Vano Merabishvili remarked that Georgian authorities guarantee
    that no protest meetings would be conducted by citizens against the
    base withdrawal from Akhalkalaki. He is also convinced that in every
    region there would be people capable of performing such actions for
    destabilization of Georgia. As for the named above incident, he said
    that about 20-25 people were making that performance for Russian TV
    channels in Akhalkalaki as a protest against withdrawal of military
    equipment from the base. The "actors" of that performance are citizens
    serving at the Russian base in Akhalkalaki, and Vano Merabishvili
    wants to believe that Moscow have nothing to do with this performance.

    It goes without saying that Tbilisi sees Moscow in everything that
    causes policy development problems for Georgia. Georgia Minister
    of Foreign Affairs Gela Bezhuashvili stated the other day that
    relationships between Russia and Georgia are far not of good
    neighbors. It is possible to understand from his words that it is
    Moscow who is to be blamed for it. When he was characterizing the
    situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia he said: "We have a number of
    facts proving that Russia follows the policy of annexation concerning
    Georgia". However, the head of Georgia Foreign Policy Department
    didn't mention any of those facts, but took pokes at Russia.
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