Sokhumi Says ‘Concerned over Allegations on Paramilitary Groups’

Seizing upon allegations voiced by opposition figure Irakli Alasania, who has accused the Georgian authorities of setting up paramilitary groups, foreign ministry of breakaway Abkhazia said on March 23, that Tbilisi was “continuing policy of terror and intimidation.”

“The Abkhaz side expresses deep concern in connection to media reports about statements of one of the Georgian opposition leaders, Irakli Alasania, who has accused the Georgian leadership of creating illegal militia groups, deployed in an immediate vicinity at the Abkhaz border” in Samegrelo region, the breakaway region’s foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

“Setting up of such armed groups confirms the persisting aspiration of the Georgian leadership to continue its policy of terror and intimidation both within Georgia itself and in bordering Gali district of Abkhazia. Undoubtedly, actions of these armed groups will contribute to further aggravation of the situation in the region,” it said.

It has also claimed that “significantly increased number” of security-related incidents in the Gali district was a result of Tbilisi “using illegal armed groups for aggravating tensions.”

The breakaway region’s foreign ministry also called on participants of Geneva talks, as well as EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia “to take necessary measures to prevent escalation of tensions in the border areas.”

Irakli Alasania, one of the leaders of Bidzina Ivanishvili-led opposition coalition said on March 20, that he was sending evidence, supporting his allegations about the authorities setting up paramilitary groups to the National Security Council for review and reaction. He also said that the evidence involved “full information about places of location of the paramilitary groups, about their members, about armament and finances.”

The Georgian National Security Council responded, that the allegation was “absurd” and files sent by Alasania “contains no valuable information.”

Georgia’s Foreign Minister, Grigol Vashadze, said on March 23, that Alasania’s allegation was “schizophrenic delirium.”