Adjara Tops Saakashvili’s Opening Speech at Parliamentary Session

President Saakashvili said on April 22, while addressing newly convened Parliament that Georgia’s central government will not step back and tolerate illegal moves of Adjarian leadership.

“We are facing problem in Adjara deriving from Aslan Abashidze. We have no problems with the local population, whose majority supported me during the presidential elections,” Saakashvili said.

“Aslan Abashidze has never been elected by the Adjarian population, thus he has no right to speak on behalf of Adjara’s population. Adjarian leadership has been only occupied by drug trafficking and arresting political opponents,” the President said.

Mikheil Saakashvili also said that his opponents often criticize him for radical stance towards Abashidze. “They, who are pseudo-pacifists, claim that there is no need in confrontation. But I am not going to tolerate drug barons and criminals in one of the regions of Georgia. I am not going to have a peace with them,” Saakashvili added.

“We should act decisively in order to restore rule of law in entire Georgia and we should not step back,” the President told legislators.

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