GEORGIAN POLITICIAN SLAMS GOVERNMENT OVER FORGING CLOSE TIES WITH ARMENIA

AssA-Irada
October 6, 2008 Monday
Azerbaijan

The leader of Georgian laborists, Shalva Natelashvili, has pounded
a wave of criticism on the countrys government over forging close
relations with Armenia. At a news conference in Tbilisi, the opposition
leader came out against the project on building a road between the
two countries stretching from the Armenian capital, Yerevan, to the
Georgian port of Batumi through the countrys Ajaria region.

He compared the road with the Rox tunnel in Georgias rebel region of
South Ossetia. Building such a road could pave the way for another
outbreak of separatism, Natelashvili said. Further, he said that
at a time the country was fighting a war with Russia, Georgian
media repeatedly cited facts proving that Russian warplanes bombing
targets in Georgia were taking off from Armenian territory. However,
Tbilisi has never responded to these allegations. Natelashvili said
the position taken by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian during the
August developments should be condemned. At a time dead Georgian
soldiers were lined up along the road near Tskhinvali [the capital
of South Ossetia], Serzh Sarkisian was raising toasts with Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev, Natelashvili said. It is indicative that
following a brief war between Russia and Georgia, Sarkisian visited
Tbilisi and was awarded by the Order of Honor by President Mikheil
Saakashvili. Georgia launched large-scale military operations on
August 8 in South Ossetia to restore its territorial integrity. Moscow
responded by sending troops to the pro- Russian region which struck
at the Georgian armed forces using overwhelming force. Georgian
forces initially gained control over Tskhinvali, but had to retreat
a day later after a Russian attack. A ceasefire was, subsequently,
reached on August 17 to end a brief war, with the mediation of French
President Nicolas Sarkozy.