Tbilisi’s Reaction to Armenian Crisis

Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze said on March 3 she hoped the current crisis in Armenia would be resolved in the shortest possible period of time.

“It was very hard to watch developments [in Yerevan]. Only the Lord and concrete steps undertaken in Georgia saved us from something similar [last November],” Burjanadze said. “I hope the Armenian people and the authorities overcome the crisis as soon as possible.”

President Saakashvili spoke to his Armenian counterpart, Robert Kocharian, on March 2 by telephone. “The Georgian leader expressed his support for the Armenian people and the Armenian authorities,” the Armenian president’s press office said.

Meanwhile, the Georgian opposition Republican Party issued a statement condemning, what it called, violence against peaceful protesters. “The Armenian authorities have chosen to suppress protests without exhausting dialogue with part of the population, which questioned the official results of the presidential election,” it said.

Opposition Conservative Party said in a statement that it was condemning use of force against peaceful protesters. “The Conservative Party calls on the international community to prevent establishment of authoritarian regimes in Georgia and Armenia and to foster development of democracy,” it said.

On March 2 a small group of civil society activists and ethnic Armenians living in Georgia held a protest rally outside the Armenian embassy in Tbilisi, condemning the break-up of a demonstration in Yerevan.

Official Armenian reports say eight people were killed and dozens injured as a result of clashes on March 1 between police and demonstrators protesting against the February 19 presidential election results.

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