President Saakashvili hailed the Georgian law enforcement agencies for, as he put it, thwarting destabilization plot by “the enemy” and “the occupant” in recent weeks.
Last week the Georgian Interior Ministry said it had revealed several, separate, not interconnected groups of suspects “showing interest” in purchase of arms. At least seven persons arrested in, what the police said was, a sting operation, were associated with former parliamentary chairperson Nino Burjanadze’s opposition party. Total of ten persons were arrested. The Interior Ministry, however, said it was not claiming any political conspiracy behind the case and that it was not at all “politicizing” this criminal case.
President Saakashvili’s comments, which were apparently made in reference to this particular case, were in fact the first open and direct suggestion by the authorities that the arms saga, accompanied by series of, what it was said to be, covertly recorded audio and video tapes, was directly linked to an attempted destabilization plotted by “the enemy” and “the occupant.”
“Georgia is in a difficult situation. On the one hand we are in the condition of the global crisis, which has of course directly hit us after the Russian aggression. And on the other hand more than 20% of our territory remains in occupation. Of course Georgia’s enemy, the occupant is doing everything to hinder Georgia’s progress and [to hinder] creation of conditions for Georgia’s de-occupation,” Saakashvili said.
“I think,” he continued, “that as a result of very effective work of our law enforcement agencies, their [the enemies’] plans for staging internal disorders and destabilization have been seriously thwarted.”
“But their response to this was an attack on our police officers and unfortunately one of our police officers was killed and several others injured,” he said referring to explosion of two mines close to the breakaway South Ossetian administrative border on March 29.
“Despite these attacks and provocations, our development, progress, reconstruction should continue with two, three-fold pace,” he added.
Saakashvili was speaking at a live televised meeting with provincial governors and heads of local municipalities, during which he focused mainly on infrastructure projects in the regions were discussed.
He told the governors that the government was gradually tackling the problems facing the regions, but added that more needed to be done. “Despite war, global crisis, provocations coming from within inside or outside, our promises are being delivered and I am proud about it,” Saakashvili said.
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