Tbilisi, Batumi to Resume Talks

Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze told Adjarian television on April 11 that Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and Secretary of the National Security Council Vano Merabishvili would visit Batumi on April 13 to hold talks with the leadership of the Autonomous Republic.

Adjarian leader said that distribution of powers between the central government and the Autonomy would be discussed during the talks.

Abashidze demanded from the central authorities to unfreeze accounts of the Batumi-based Maritime Bank.

The accounts were frozen after the Georgian General Prosecutor’s Office accused the bank of money laundering on behalf of the autonomy’s leadership. The Maritime Bank served all transactions of Adjarian authorities.

It is expected that the issue of disarmament of Abashidze’s paramilitary forces will also be discussed during the talks.

Zhvania was to visit Adjara last week, but the talks were were postponed for unspecified reasons.