Russia Insists on Military Involvement in Troubled Gorge
Russians claim that clash, which continues since July 27 in the mountainous Itum-Kale region of Chechnya started after the Chechen fighters managed to penetrate into the Russian territory from Georgia’s troubled Pankisi gorge, where allegedly Chechen fighters are hiding, but the Georgian side rejects this accusation as well. Because of claim by the Russian side, threat of spilling the military actions from Chechnya to Pankisi is on official Tbilisi’s agenda once again.
Although the State Security Minister of Georgia Valeri Khaburdzania stated on July 29 that the Ministry “does not possess any information regarding preparation of provocations by the Russian side”, bombing of unpopulated area in Georgia by the Russian aircraft the same day, increased the fears. On the next day on July 30 unpopulated areas of Pankisi gorge were also bombed.
Statements of the Russian officials keep becoming more and more severe. “We are tired of hearing this lies. One day officials in Tbilisi say that there are fighters in Pankisi and than say that no one is there on the next day. In such circumstances, it is less likely that friendly and constructive relations would establish between Russia and Georgia,” the Russian Presidential aid Sergei Yastrzhmbskii told the journalists.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov directly demanded deployment of the Russian troops to Pankisi. “The Pankisi problem will not be solved without involvement of Russian special purpose forces. Georgia is not capable of dealing with this issue independently,” Ivanov said on July 29.
Since the second Chechen war (1999) Georgia has been successfully avoiding involvement in the conflict and occurrence of military processes in Pankisi, but it failed to eliminate a source of a problem that can cause such a development. Situation in Pankisi gorge creates such threat to Georgia continuously.
The Georgian government had to admit that there are armed Chechen and Arab fighters in Pankisi together with some 3,700 Chechen refugees. Because of grave criminal situation in the gorge, it is often being called a criminal enclave as well. Since January, the Georgian law enforcers are conducting special operations in Pankisi. But widespread corruption within the Police questions effectiveness of these operations.
The Georgian side hopes that the US funded Georgia Train-and-Equip program will frighten criminals and terrorists in Pankisi and force them to leave the Georgian territory. Ministers of Defense, State Security and Internal Affairs have been stating that since launching of the program, situation in the gorge has significantly improved and the law enforcers are able to move within the gorge without any hindrance.
Though the recent aggravation of situation near the Georgian border in Chechnya proves that it is still far from stability in this forbidden Georgian valley, which is tightly blocked by the Georgian Internal Troops.
By Giorgi Sepashvili, Civil Georgia