TBILISI IS STILL TAKING POKES AT RUSSIA
by Viktor Ruchkin

Source: Krasnaya zvezda, April 28, 2006, p. 1
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 3, 2006 Wednesday

RUSSIAN ARMY HAS PROBLEMS CONCERNING SAFE WITHDRAWAL OF THEIR TROOPS
AND AMMUNITION FROM GEORGIA; Tbilisi will not help Russia to withdraw
its army and military equipment from Georgia. Georgia Akhalkalakskiy
region citizens blocked the highway protesting against troops
withdrawal. Georgia Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili
remarked that Georgian authorities guarantee that no protest meetings
would be conducted by citizens against the base withdrawal from
Akhalkalaki. Georgia Minister of Foreign Affairs Gela Bezhuashvili
stated the other day that relationships between Russia and Georgia
are far not of good neighbors.

It was clear from the very beginning that Tbilisi would not take care
of safe withdrawal of Russian army from Georgia. (…) Not much time
has passed until this was proved.

Last Wednesday tens of Georgia Akhalkalakskiy region citizens blocked
the highway and made it impossible for communication troops cars,
belonging to Russian 62nd military base, to go to Armenia. That
was the way they voiced their protest against withdrawal of Russian
troops. Most of the citizens served at the Russian military base,
and now they will have no means of living. As is known, the group
of local citizens had a meeting with the base command and told them,
that until Georgia solves all the existent problems, namely the problem
of the safe life of the Armenians living in the region and employing
them, they would not allow Russian military equipment and ammunition
to leave the region. “If necessary, we will make all citizens of
Samtskhe-Dzhavakheti region take part in this action of protest”,
stressed the people.

The base command appealed to the local police command and Ministry of
Internal Affairs with a request to take care of the safe withdrawal
of military equipment. However, Georgian authorities refused to take
any measures saying this was not their responsibility. Moreover,
Georgia Minister of Internal Affairs Vano Merabishvili stated, that
the Russian side would be responsible for any problems or difficulties
when withdrawing the bases. Only after Russian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs reminded Georgia about its responsibilities according to the
signed agreement and expressed hope about Georgian authorities taking
measures in Akhalkalaki, Tbilisi agreed to act accordingly.

Namely, Vano Merabishvili remarked that Georgian authorities guarantee
that no protest meetings would be conducted by citizens against the
base withdrawal from Akhalkalaki. He is also convinced that in every
region there would be people capable of performing such actions for
destabilization of Georgia. As for the named above incident, he said
that about 20-25 people were making that performance for Russian TV
channels in Akhalkalaki as a protest against withdrawal of military
equipment from the base. The “actors” of that performance are citizens
serving at the Russian base in Akhalkalaki, and Vano Merabishvili
wants to believe that Moscow have nothing to do with this performance.

It goes without saying that Tbilisi sees Moscow in everything that
causes policy development problems for Georgia. Georgia Minister
of Foreign Affairs Gela Bezhuashvili stated the other day that
relationships between Russia and Georgia are far not of good
neighbors. It is possible to understand from his words that it is
Moscow who is to be blamed for it. When he was characterizing the
situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia he said: “We have a number of
facts proving that Russia follows the policy of annexation concerning
Georgia”. However, the head of Georgia Foreign Policy Department
didn’t mention any of those facts, but took pokes at Russia.