Special troops to ease ethnic tension in southern Georgia – minister

Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
20 Mar 05

[Presenter] The interior minister [Vano Merabishvili] is probably one
of those in the government who is well aware of what is going on in
that region [reference to the previous report about ethnic tension
in Tsalka District in southern Georgia]. He is from that region,
and we can now talk to him live. Good evening.

[Merabishvili] Good evening.

[Question] Can I start by asking you to rule out the possibility that
these incidents were politically motivated? I am asking this because
in Yerevan the Dashnaktsutyun party has recently been saying that the
rights of Armenian speakers in Georgia are being violated and at the
same time the issue of [Russian] bases has been in the news.

[Merabishvili] Regarding your first point, I must say that, according
to our information, this incident [in Tsalka] is not linked to the
political situation in Armenia, although, the tense situation over the
Russian military bases, that is the tension with our other neighbour
[Russia], may be playing a certain role.

However, as was apparent from your previous report, from what
people were saying and from I personally heard there today –
[changes thought] I must say that the situation there should not be
overdramatized. There is a lack of trust between different ethnic
groups in that region, including people who settled there from other
parts of the country. This is a difficult region, in terms of climate
and social problems, and all of this makes the situation worse.
[Passage omitted]

Unfortunately, a brutal murder took place there recently. Had it
taken place in another part of Georgia, there would not have been
such an outcry. However, the situation remains tense and there is
mistrust. There is no stability yet in relations between settlers
from Svaneti and Ajaria and ethnic Greeks and Armenians. That is
precisely why we have decided to deploy a special detachment there.

I wish to explain to the public how this detachment will operate.
Since Tsalka District is very large and it is impossible to deploy a
policeman at every street corner and outside every house and to set
higher standards of law and order protection there than in the rest of
Georgia, we have decided to introduce daily patrols – at least three
times a day in every village – by special units in a [word indistinct]
vehicle. On the one hand, this will be a crime prevention measure,
and, on the other hand, it will enable citizens to tell the police
in advance about possible violent incidents. [Passage omitted]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress