Adjara under Partial Blockade

Saakashvili said vessels of the Georgian coast guard will be deployed around port of Batumi “to prevent import of weapons to Adjara.”

President Saakashvili announced late on March 15 that Georgia’s central authorities imposed “partial” economic sanctions against its defiant Adjarian Autonomy in a bid “to exhaust Adjarian regime’s resources in two weeks.”

“I made an unprecedented move and imposed partial restriction on movement of cargo in Adjara Autonomous Republic,” President Saakashvili told specially convened press conference in Tbilisi late on March 15.

He said that the port and airport of Batumi are closed, as well as the Sarpi border checkpoint at Turkish border. “All the cargoes will be redirected to other Georgia accesses, including port of Poti,” Saakashvili added.

Georgian President also said that licenses of all the banks operating in Adjara Autonomous Republic have already been canceled and bank accounts of the organizations linked to the Adjarian authorities frozen.

“These measures are directed only against the Adjarian authorities and not against the population living in Adjara,” the President said.

“In two weeks Adjarian leaderships’ resources will be exhausted as a result of these sanctions,” Saakashvili added.

“This is the first case when Georgia uses these measures,” Saakashvili added.

President also said that he held phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Zurab Zhvania [Georgia’s Prime Minister] held phone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul,” Saakashvili added.

“All of them assured us that they support Georgia’s territorial integrity and the central government’s constitutional right to perform its legitimate authority throughout Georgia,” the President said.

Mikheil Saakashvili also said that the criminal charges are brought against number of Adjarian officials, suspected of “human rights abuse and other crimes.”

“Today the General Prosecutor announced that the Deputy Interior Minister of Adjara is accused of murder. Tomorrow [on March 15] the list of other [Adjarian] officials will be published who are also accused of crimes,” Mikheil Saakashvili added.

However, he did not specify whether the criminal charges will be brought against Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze. “It is up to the General Prosecutor’s Office,” the President said.

He said that all these measures became necessary after Abashidze “refused to hold talks.” Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said earlier on March 15 that he offered Abashidze to hold meeting with Saakashvili. “However he refrained,” Zhvania said.

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