Saakashvili in Hard Talks with Abashidze

Saakashvili says he is ready for constructive talks but warns Georgia has “well-trained” militaries.

President Mikheil Saakashvili and Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze are meeting for more than an hour already in the office of the Adjarian leader in Batumi.

President Saakashvili arrived in Batumi on March 18 passing through the Choloki checkpoint – dividing Adjarian Autonomy from the rest of Georgia – manned by paramilitary forces of defiant Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze.

Talks in Batumi aim at defusing tensions, which sparked after the President’s convoy was stopped by armed men and barred from entering the region on March 14. The incident triggered crisis, which led to sea, land and air blockade of troubled Adjarian Autonomy.

President Saakashvili crossed a border checkpoint earlier today, where supporters of Aslan Abashidze chanted Abashidze’s nickname “Babu! Babu!” – which means grandfather.

However, on his way to Batumi hundreds of supporters welcomed President Saakashvili with chanting “Misha! Misha!” – a nickname of Mikheil Saakashvili.

Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze, who is a moderate political figure and Saakashvili’s allay met with Abashidze on March 17 prior to Saakashvili’s visit to the region. 

The Parliamentary Chairperson described seven-hour long talks with the Adjarian leader as “very hard,” however it is most likely that the negotiations between Saakashvili and Abashidze will be even harder.

Late on March 17 the President met reporters and outlined priorities, which he intends to push forward during talks with Abashidze.

“All the persons arrested for political reasons in Adjara should be released; opposition should be given right to campaign freely in Adjara; human rights should be secured, as well as free and fair elections [on March 28],” President Saakashvili told reporters late on March 17.

“In case these conditions are met by the local authorities and the opposition is given possibility to freely campaign in Adjara, I am ready to lift sanctions imposed three days ago. This will be my good will,” Mikheil Saakashvili said.

Saakashvili said that he also intends to meet opposition activists in Batumi.

“I am determined to be constructive, but at the same time very principle. I am ready for compromise but not at the expanse of the state interests,” he added.

The central authorities declared sea, land and air blockade on March 16 of the restive region after President Saakashvili was denied to enter Adjara on March 14.

Mikheil Saakashvili said that he is ready for dialogue, but at the same time he warned that Georgia has “well-trained [military] units.”

“Today [on March 17] in the morning we held exercises of the commando battalion [trained by the U.S. military instructors]. Everybody should know that we have well-trained military units. And we are ready to use any kind of measure to secure Georgia’s integrity,” Saakashvili said.

Mikheil Saakashvili also said that international efforts are under way to defuse tensions in Adjara.

“Chief of the President’s administration [Irakli Chubinishvili] visits Ankara and holds talks with the Turkish authorities. Meanwhile Vano Merabishvili [Secretary of the Georgia’s National Security Council] held talks in Moscow. We received guarantees personally from President Putin that Russia would not interfere,” President Saakashvili said.

Turkish Foreign Ministry’s statement reads that Ankara is carefully watching the developments in Georgia and is ready to lend support to help ease the tension.

The U.S. also watches closely developments in Georgia. “We are in contact with both sides. We support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia,” Adam Ereli, deputy spokesman for the U.S. Department of State said at a news briefing in Washington.

President Saakashvili also commented on visit of Moscow’s Mayor to Batumi, which was not agreed to the Georgia’s central authorities in advance. There were reports that Luzhkov, who criticized Tbilisi for tensions in Adjara, intended to mediate between Batumi and Tbilisi.

“I don’t need mediators in talks with the one of the heads of the country’s region [Aslan Abashidze], who is under my subordination,” Saakashvili added.

He also said that as a President he “will never notify anyone in advance about his movement in Georgia.”

“It is nobody’s business,” he added, referring to Adjarian leadership’s statement that Saakashvili was barred from entering the region on March 14 as the President did not notified local authorities about his visit in advance.

Political analysts in Georgia do not expect a breakthrough in major issues during the talks. Observers suggest that March 28 parliamentary election might be held in Adjara, but long-term and “strategic issues” will not be solved.

“The regime in Batumi is absolutely incompatible to that one in Tbilisi [central government] and it makes a major problem in this standoff and this makes a cornerstone of confrontation between Georgia’s new leadership and Adjarian leader [Abashidze, who unilaterally rule the region for past decade],” Ghia Nodia of think-tank Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development, says.

Meanwhile Georgian General Prosecutor unveiled on March 16 list of those Adjarian officials wanted by the law enforcers for alleged harassment of journalists and opposition supporters. Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze is not on the list.
 
“Adjarian leader still has a chance to avoid criminal prosecution,” chief prosecutor said.

But those on the list of wanted, including Adjarian security minister, deputy interior minister and four others, represent foothold of Abashidze’s power in the Autonomy and it is unlikely that Abashidze will agree on their arrest.