Georgian president says soccer violence was not ethnic conflict

Mediamax news agency
12 May 04

Yerevan, 12 May: Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said one should
not consider the fight between Georgians and [ethnic] Armenians in
the Tsalka region of Georgia as an ethnic conflict.

“I don’t want to dramatize the situation. This is not an inter-ethnic
conflict. It was a common fight between Georgians and Armenians. But
we will not allow violation of law and order and we are not going to
be involved in a provocation,” the Georgian president said on 11 May.

Mikheil Saakashvili noted that “after the developments in Ajaria,
Georgia’s enemies retreated.”

“Our neighbours do not hide their admiration for the peaceful
settlement of the situation in Ajaria. The Armenian and Ukrainian
Presidents told me about this in a telephone talk,” Saakashvili said.

According to him, “Some of Georgia’s enemies want to involve the
country in a new conflict.”

“We will not allow any blackmail and will give a due answer to
everybody,” Saakashvili said.

A fight between Armenians and Georgians took place after a football
match in the centre of Tsalka (Eastern Georgia), as a result of which
10 people were injured.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress