Tbilisi Fears to Lose the Only Georgian Enclave in Breakaway Province
On August 13 Georgian State Minister and Abkhaz Premier failed to reach agreement on withdrawal of Abkhaz fighters from Georgian controlled upper Kodori gorge, breakaway Abkhazia. Talks resume today concerning the issue.
The negotiations in Chuburkhinji, breakaway Abkhazia suspended yesterday for several times because of armed clashes that occurred in the gorge between the Georgians and Abkhaz fighters, causing no casualties. In the evening on August 13 Georgian Defense Minister Davit Tevzadze stated at the news briefing that the Abkhaz fighters started to pull out, but the information was not confirmed later.
Georgian State Minister arrived from Chuburkhinji late on August 13 saying that the armed clashes stopped, but the situation in the gorge is still very tensed. “The talks will resume concerning the issue by the noon of August 14,” State Minister Avtandil Jorbenadze told the reporters upon his arrival.
Anri Jergenia, Prime Minister of unrecognized Abkhazian Republic told the reporters on August 13 that the Security Council of Abkhazia will decide on August 14, whether to pull out its units from Kodori or not.
Davit Tevzadze, Georgian Defense Minister said in the interview to the Rustavi 2 TV channel late on August 13 that the Abkhaz side “is waiting for the orders from Moscow concerning how to act”. He stated that, Russian side backs up each step of separatists in Sukhumi (capital of breakaway province).
The situation in the strategic Kodori gorge, which is the only Georgian enclave in breakaway Abkhazia aggravated after the Abkhaz fighters, up to 100 militants, infiltrated the Georgian controlled territory on August 8-11. The Georgian President’s Representative to Kodori Emzar Kvitsiani claims Russian soldiers are also among the armed group. Georgian Defense Minister says that the ethnic Russians might be in the group, “it is hard to say whether they are the servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces or not.”
According to the Georgian Defense Minister such a move from the Abkhaz side was anticipated. “Sukhumi, as well as the Russian peacekeepers demanded for several times starting from this year to open a checkpoint in Georgian controlled Kodori. If we agree on the proposal this would split the gorge into two parts that would lead to losing control over the gorge,” Davit Tevzadze said.
It is a second incident in the past two weeks in Kodori. On July 31, 30 Russian border guards set up fortifications in the Georgian controlled territory. They left upper Kodori only after the negotiations directly with the Defense Minister Davit Tevzadze. In April Russian peacekeepers failed to set up a checkpoint in the center of Kodori. Dispatching of the Russian paratroopers in Georgian controlled territory was evaluated by the authorities in Tbilisi as an open aggression against sovereign state.
Situation in troubled Kodori gorge becomes the reason of tensions between the conflicting sides and also between Georgia and Russia very often in the recent years. Abkhazians fear that Tbilisi might use the strategic gorge for launching military operation against the authorities in Sukhumi. On the other hand Georgian government is alarmed with the possible attack of Abkhazians, who with the Russians assistance might take over the gorge and gain the control over the entire territory of Abkhazia. At the moment together with the units of the Georgian Border Guards, units of the local armed Georgian population defend the strategically important gorge.
Authorities in Tbilisi claim that such a move from the Abkhaz side is provocation aiming at involvement of Georgian in the large scale armed conflict. The radical opposition of the Georgian government also talks on provocation but from the government of Shevardnadze.
Leader of National Movement MP Mikheil Saakashvili said in the interview to the Rustavi 2 TV channel on August 13, that the situation in Kodori is “a simulation, organized by the Georgian government to distract the population’s attention from the internal political crisis.” “The same happened last October, when the Chechen fighters from Pankisi were transported with the vehicles of the Georgian Interior Ministry to Kodori gorge, where they launched attacks against the Abkhaz fighters. This is very dangerous games that might lead to the total disaster for the Georgian state,” Saakashvili added.
By Giorgi Sepashvili, Civil Georgia
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