“Georgia’s Key Security Concerns: Pankisi and Abkhazia”

A luncheon Discussion with Valeri Khaburdzania, Georgian Minister of State Security

January 30, 2003
The Nixon Center, Washington, DC

Georgia had until September 11, 2001 denied that its lawless Pankisi Gorge, which is 40 km from Chechnya, had become a hiding place not only for Chechen fighters but also for extremist Islamist terrorists. In November 2001, Valeri Khaburdzania was put in charge of the State Security Ministry to lead the counter-terrorism operations in Pankisi. At a luncheon at The Nixon Center, Minister Khaburdzania argued that while the Pankisi Gorge is now more or less under Tbilisi’s control, the situation in the semi-autonomous region of Abkhazia presents a more serious security challenge for Georgia. Zeyno Baran, Director of International Security and Energy Programs, moderated the discussion.

Pankisi Gorge Operations Succeeding….

Mr. Khaburdzania first described the origin of the Pankisi Gorge problem, arguing that it was directly connected to the second Chechen war, when about 7000 Chechen refugees came to Georgia. The Georgian government decided to settle them in Pankisi where ethnic Chechen Georgians (Kists) were already living. Along with the refugees, however, about 600 Chechen militants arrived in the gorge. He argued that these militants were able to come to Georgia not only because of Tbilisi’s failures, but also because of assistance from corrupt Russian border guards.

The Minister explained that until 2001, Pankisi problem was not dealt with because the Georgian government had too many other priorities. Then in October 2001, a group of Chechens crossed from Pankisi to Abkhazia, which created a serious security crisis. Mr. Khaburdzania said that his first job following his appointment as Minister of State Security in November 2001 was to deal with Pankisi, which, he reminded, is a very small, 44 km square area with 13,000 habitants, including the refugees.

Mr. Khaburdzania explained that the criminal situation in Pankisi had worsened by January 2002, mainly because the foreign funds—mainly from Arab sources—were cut off after September 11 and the militants began to harass local Georgians.

He said that President Eduard Shevardnadze then convened the National Security Council, which drafted a clear strategy to deal with the Pankisi problem. Minister Khaburdzania reminded the audience of his statement in January for the first time admitting “there might be people in Pankisi connected to international terrorism, including Al Qaeda”. He mentioned that then US Deputy Chief of Mission Philip Remler, who was in the audience, had backed his statement at the time. Khaburdzania stated that at the beginning of the operation there were 800 militants in Pankisi, with 100 of them non-Chechens—Arabs and other nationalities.

According to Khaburdzania, the Security and Interior Ministries conducted joint operations in Pankisi, albeit with great concern as they were troubled by the potential consequences of large scale fighting. He explained that instead of confronting the well-armed large groups that had combat experience, they decided to try to convince these groups to leave the gorge peacefully. When these larger groups left, the Georgians then conducted operations against the smaller groups and criminals. Mr. Khaburdzania argued that this was the only workable strategy for Georgia, as a confrontation with the Chechens would have brought disaster to Georgia. He added that Russia has not been able to succeed in such operations against the Chechens in the mountainous areas.

Mr. Khaburdzania mentioned that during summer of 2002, Georgian security forces succeeded in several key operations in Pankisi. Adam Dekushev, who is considered to be a member of the Khattab-led Chechen force that participated in the apartment bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk late summer of 1999, was arrested and turned over to the Russians in July 2002. On August 25th Georgian security and interior ministries started joint anti-criminal operation in Pankisi Gorge. Then, he mentioned, about two months ago there was an operation against a gang of five terrorists in Lagodekhi (in Kakheti region), and one of them, who was also an organizer of the 1999 Moscow and Volgodonsk bombings, was extradited to Russia as part of the increased bilateral cooperation.

Khaburdzania underlined that while the anti-criminal operations in Pankisi have so far been successful, Georgia and Russia will need to cooperate closely over the next several months to prevent the return of the Chechen fighters to Pankisi. With the snow melting in spring, some of the Chechens fighters may want to cross back to Pankisi, and that is why he was asking Russian border guards to keep the border closed from their end. Mentioning “there are 140 different mountain trails that can be used to cross from Georgia to Russia” and underlining that “the mountains are 2000-3000 meters high,” he argued it is extremely difficult to track Chechen fighters without Russian help.

Mr. Khaburdzania stated that mainly the Interior Ministry would be in charge of future operations in Pankisi, where there are still 50 to 60 Chechen fighters mixed in with the local population.  Among this group are two or three notorious figures they hope to apprehend. He said that currently there are ten checkpoints manned by interior ministry troops, and that the situation is largely under control. However, he argued, more international assistance would be helpful.

The Minister also mentioned the recent arrests of terrorist suspects possessing the ricin poison in London and other European capitals. He stated that these arrests were mainly a result of Georgian intelligence sharing with their European counterparts. He added that Georgian intelligence indicates that the ricin was not produced in Pankisi, but that some components necessary for ricin production were delivered to Pankisi. He complained that while Tbilisi shared all its operational information with London, the British have not yet given any answers as to where the ricin was produced and whether there was indeed any connection to Pankisi.

…While Abkhazia is Hotbed of Problems

Khaburdzania was much more pessimistic about Abkhazia, stating that “the bad status-quo for Georgia is not changing”. He mentioned that every six months the Georgian government faces a crisis about the renewal of the mandate for the peacekeepers, because the refugees expelled from Abkhazia are strongly opposed to their continued presence. He argued that the problem is becoming more and more difficult over time as the refugees have lost their hope and trust in the peacekeepers. In fact, he said, with the international community remaining silent despite the opening of the railway from Sochi to Sukhumi and the issuing of Russian passports to the Abkhaz, the refugees lost their trust in the international community and the United Nations as well. Yet, he stated, the active involvement of the international community in the Abkhaz issue would make a great difference.

The Minister was fairly detailed in outlining the problems in Abkhazia. He stressed that even though the recent cabinet reshuffle ordered by Vladislav Ardzinba may give the impression that he controls the situation, in reality “the situation in Abkhazia is very grave due to total absence of law enforcement.” He highlighted the presence of Wahhabisim as a major concern, arguing, “When there is Wahhabisim, there is terrorism.” He also claimed that Abkhazia had become a major organized crime and smuggling center and a shelter for terrorists like the hijackers of the “Avrasya” ship (in the Turkish Straits in January 1996). He further argued that Abkhazia had become a transit area for smuggling of narcotics and even radioactive materials. He mentioned that while the Georgian government has had a tough time cleansing Pankisi of terrorists and criminals, he believed that they would have a much harder time in Abkhazia.

To sum up, Mr. Khaburdzania stated “the general situation in Georgia is normal and not as dramatic as some people believe.” He argued that Georgia’s main criminal activities were linked to the Pankisi Gorge, and when the Pankisi problem would be resolved, the overall criminal situation in Georgia would improve as well. He also hoped for increased investment into Georgia, so that the economic situation would improve, the budget would increase, the law enforcement would receive more funding and provide better security. He highlighted the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline project as a key investment, which has been operating without problems since 1999. This project, to him, is a sign that Georgia’s future is bright.

This Program Brief was prepared by Nixon Center International Security and Energy Programs Intern Melis Ozpinar