Press Makes Fun of Circumstances

The Resonance; The Alia; The Dilis Gazeti

The President of Georgia met students at Tbilisi Stated University yesterday. Georgian press describes the meeting very cynically and is ironic about the President also.

Article “Let’s Clap to Shevardnadze – He Loves Students” in the Resonance begins the following way: “Somehow the President of Georgia kept his promise given to students this time and arranged a meeting with them at the University… Many students could not manage to get in to the conference hall for they were not respected by the rector and were not named in the guest list”.

The paper is not on the students’ side either and says whoever used to demand the President’s resignation was clapping at his remaining on the position.

Despite the President’s request, the meeting was not apolitical. The students attending the meeting were divided in two. The first part was very radical about the President and criticized him. The group reminded the head of the country about problems of Javakheti (southern part of Georgia mainly populated by Armenians), Kodori gorge, Abkhazia, and Samachablo (northern part of Georgia, a self-declared republic). The President answered the matters saying Javakheti was productive with potatoes this year, and Kodori was provided with free sugar and salt. The press is very ironic about Shevardnadze’s comments and actually makes fun of them.

“Georgian President should have such relations with Russia that it should not dare to bomb Georgia’s territory”, this was the comment Shevardnadze made about Kodori gorge, which is one of the dominant problems for the country nowadays… As to Abkhazia and Samachablo, in spite of bitter really, Shevardnadze believes the regions are not lost to Georgia. “If I don’t die or resign situation in Abkhazia will be absolutely changed”, he swore once again”, the Alia says in the article called the President’s phase – “I’m Neither Planning to Die Nor to Resign”. It is obvious that the paper does not trust any word said be Shevardnadze.

Second part of students making speeches supported the President. Their number was so big that in the article “The President Went to a ‘Wasp Nest’ but Found Himself Among his Supporters”, the Dilis Gazeti says: “Shevardnadze’s supporters were gathered in the conference hall of the State University while his student opposition arranged a demonstration outside the building”.

“Yesterday’s meeting admitted that the students have the same disease as the whole society: it is divided in two camps, it is extremely politicized, and is too radical for being together”, the Dilis Gazeti says.

Shevardnadze gave high mark to yesterday’s meeting and “at the end he said what he actually arranged the meeting for – “demonstrations should be ceased” (the Resonance).