Shevardnadze Says his Inner Circle was against Resignation

Georgian television broadcasted footage of meeting between ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze and Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church Illia II.

This was the first appearance of President Shevardnadze, since his resignation in the evening on November 23, as a result of bloodless revolution.

“I should have resigned in the morning. Even Nanuli (Edurd Shevardnadze’s wife) urged me in the morning to resign. Than Paata [Shevardnadze, son of ex-President] phoned me and also asked to step down, but what should I have done? There were people around me, including [Avtandil] Jorbenadze [the State Minister], who were against,” Eduard Shevardnadze told Illia II.

Shevardnadze looked very exhausted. The footage brought speculations over Shevardnadze’s whereabouts to the end. There were rumors earlier on November 24 that Shevardnadze left for Germany.

Shevardnadze is at Krtsanisi governmental residence in Tbilisi at the moment.