President, Government Members Prevented to Visit Adjara

Armed groups blocked the administrative border between Adjara and the rest of the Georgia and prevented Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and other members of the government to travel to the Autonomous Republic.

Mikheil Saakashvili unexpectedly decided to travel to Adjara early this morning, as the officials in Tbilisi say, to meet the voters in the course of the pre-election campaign.

Georgian televisions broadcasted footage showing armored vehicles and hundreds of armed men in uniforms and black masks blocking the border.

Interior Minister Giorgi Baramidze negotiated with representatives of the Autonomous Republic and tried in vain to convince them not to prevent the President entering Adjara.

Adjarian authorities claimed that Tbilisi tried this morning to dispatch troops in Adjara that caused mobilization of the armed groups at the administrative border.

“We are not against the President’s visit. He is the President of Georgia and is free to travel in any part of the country. But they intended to enter into Adjara with the troops. We will not permit this,” Mayor of Batumi, Adjarian capital, Giorgi Abashidze, who is son of Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze, told reporters.

Secretary of the National Security Council Vano Merabishvili told reporters “the President decided to avoid bloodshed and left for Poti [near the Adjarian administrative border].”

“These people [Adjarian authorities] are ready to use any kind of measures to retain power. These people are bandings,” Vano Merabishvili added.

“It is a bad signal. Situation is very aggravated. President was foiled to enter Adjara to meet voters, it is absolutely inadmissible,” Zurab Zhvania, the Prime Minister, who also arrived in Poti, told reporters.

President Saakashvili made no comments so far. Officials say that together with Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania President Saakashvili holds meeting with the government members in Poti to discuss further plan of action.

Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze who is in Moscow said on March 13 at a news conference in the Russian capital that Tbilisi tries to use force to overthrow Adjarian authorities.

“Internal troops and commandos battalions are on high alert. This alarming information makes me very alarmed. I am here to inform the international community about this, in order to prevent bloodshed in Adjara,” Aslan Abashidze said.