Krasnaya Zvezda
03-15-2004, 06:28 PM
Georgian leader threatens blockade of rebel region (from gazeta.ru)
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Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Sunday told the head of the Black Sea region of Adzhara to give him free access to the independent-minded province or face a partial economic blockade.
Saakashvili, who was barred from entering Adzhara on Sunday, said if Aslan Abashidze failed to cooperate, he would tell his government to close Adzhara's airspace, block its oil port and freeze accounts of companies associated with Adzharan leaders.
"I told Abashidze that I would give him time until tomorrow (Monday) evening to allow me and other officials to move freely in Adzhara and to meet our people there," Saakashvili told a news briefing in the Black Sea port town of Poti.
Saakashvili has been trying to restore full Georgian control over troublesome Adzhara, one of three regions in Georgia outside Tblisi's authority, since his election as president in January. //*******
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Comment: The unfolding crisis between Georgia and the breakaway territory of Adzharia (I would rather call it a city-state since it is little more than the city of Batumi and its outskirts) once again underlines the volatility of the situation in the troubled Caucasus region. While it is true that Georgia and Adzharia have been at odds since decades, this latest twist of events is not promising to alleviate the situation between the two uneasy neighbors at all. If the newly-elected Georgian leader Saakashvili (who ousted former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze) tries to "buy time" by enforcing an embargo onto Adzharia, thus attempting to force the little Georgian province into submission, Russia may well decide to intervene in favor of Adzharia either economically, or militarily. In the meanwhile, it seems that Saakashvili's arch-enemy and self-made ruler of Adzharia, Aslan Abashidze, is preparing for a full-scale war with Georgia, and has already placed 400 special troops in a high state of alert along the border. In Batumi, police and armed forces have been distributing weapons to the local population, and are readying machine gun emplacements on building roofs, including on top of the hotel "Meskheti". What will happen if Adzharia tries to force its way through Georgia in order to counter the blockade (it could attempt to do the same over the Black Sea), or else if Georgia attacks Adzharia in order to reestablish its rule over the rebellious province? Will in that case Russia step into the conflict and help out Adzharia? Finally, how will the US react if hostilities break out and Georgia ends up calling on American help to counter a Russian threat? The situation is very tense and the risk of escalation is extremely high, but one thing is sure: in trying to hamper and diminish Russian influence in the southern Caucasus, and in trying to establish a remote-controlled homebase in Georgia under the auspices of Saakashvili, the US may soon head on a collision course with the Kremlin that may have unpredictable consequences.
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Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Sunday told the head of the Black Sea region of Adzhara to give him free access to the independent-minded province or face a partial economic blockade.
Saakashvili, who was barred from entering Adzhara on Sunday, said if Aslan Abashidze failed to cooperate, he would tell his government to close Adzhara's airspace, block its oil port and freeze accounts of companies associated with Adzharan leaders.
"I told Abashidze that I would give him time until tomorrow (Monday) evening to allow me and other officials to move freely in Adzhara and to meet our people there," Saakashvili told a news briefing in the Black Sea port town of Poti.
Saakashvili has been trying to restore full Georgian control over troublesome Adzhara, one of three regions in Georgia outside Tblisi's authority, since his election as president in January. //*******
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Comment: The unfolding crisis between Georgia and the breakaway territory of Adzharia (I would rather call it a city-state since it is little more than the city of Batumi and its outskirts) once again underlines the volatility of the situation in the troubled Caucasus region. While it is true that Georgia and Adzharia have been at odds since decades, this latest twist of events is not promising to alleviate the situation between the two uneasy neighbors at all. If the newly-elected Georgian leader Saakashvili (who ousted former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze) tries to "buy time" by enforcing an embargo onto Adzharia, thus attempting to force the little Georgian province into submission, Russia may well decide to intervene in favor of Adzharia either economically, or militarily. In the meanwhile, it seems that Saakashvili's arch-enemy and self-made ruler of Adzharia, Aslan Abashidze, is preparing for a full-scale war with Georgia, and has already placed 400 special troops in a high state of alert along the border. In Batumi, police and armed forces have been distributing weapons to the local population, and are readying machine gun emplacements on building roofs, including on top of the hotel "Meskheti". What will happen if Adzharia tries to force its way through Georgia in order to counter the blockade (it could attempt to do the same over the Black Sea), or else if Georgia attacks Adzharia in order to reestablish its rule over the rebellious province? Will in that case Russia step into the conflict and help out Adzharia? Finally, how will the US react if hostilities break out and Georgia ends up calling on American help to counter a Russian threat? The situation is very tense and the risk of escalation is extremely high, but one thing is sure: in trying to hamper and diminish Russian influence in the southern Caucasus, and in trying to establish a remote-controlled homebase in Georgia under the auspices of Saakashvili, the US may soon head on a collision course with the Kremlin that may have unpredictable consequences.