New Party Calls for Closer Ties with Russia

(Tbilisi, December 18, 2002. Civil Georgia) – The new political party “Bear”, chaired by the one of the former leader of the notorious paramilitary group Mkhedrioni terrorizing Georgian in mid-90s, was formed on December 17.

In his speech the party’s chairman Khachishvili called for closer ties with Russia and prolongation of the presence of the Russian military bases in Georgia.

In Summer Khachishvili was pardoned by the President. He served sentence for a terrorist attack on the President. In July leaders of the leading opposition parties gathered to protest pardoning of the top operative of the Mkhedrioni paramilitary unit.

Release of Khachishvili was regarded by the majority of the country’s political forces as an evident fact of criminalizing the state and decided to march against this process.

In his speech at the new party’s meeting on December 17 Temur Khachishvili harshly criticized those opposition parties, which launched cooperation against criminalization of the government. 

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