Shevardnadze: Pankisi Poses no Threat to Russia

President Eduard Shevardnadze said in his radio broadcast today that the Pankisi Gorge poses no threat to Russia. 

?The Russian delegation, which visited the gorge last week, was convinced that the situation is not dangerous there,? Shevardnadze said. 

The Russian delegation led by Minister for Chechen Affairs Stanislav Iliasov visited Pankisi last week and tried in vain to convince up to 3,700 Chechen refugees living in the gorge, to return to Chechnya. 

Shevardnadze said, presently only Chechen women, children and old people live in the Pankisi Gorge.

Up to 700 Chechen militants were hiding in the gorge, before the Georgian law enforcers launched anti-crime operation in Pankisi last year. 

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)