Russian Official Speculates Turkey May Help Adjara Secession

Russian official Andrey Klimov, who emerged over the past two days as a prominent cheerleader of the annexation of Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia via referendum, has claimed Turkey will influence the Adjara region to secede from Georgia.

Speculative remarks by Klimov, Deputy Chair of Russia’s Federation Council Committee on Foreign Relations, came on Telegram in response to Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili’s interview with CNN yesterday, in which the President said Tbilisi in fact had joined financial sanctions against Moscow over the invasion in Ukraine.

“It’s clear that the current statement of Tbilisi was made in response to the recent offers from Tskhinvali to have South Ossetia entering the Russian Federation,” Klimov said, adding that “the current decisions announced by Zurabishvili will above all punish the Georgian people.”

“Revenues from trade with Russia will drop to a minimum, and the supply of goods vital for Georgia from Russia as well. Georgian goods will be replaced by other goods in Russia. The inflow of Russian tourists will clearly collapse,” he noted.

“The already difficult economic situation of this small mountainous country will become critical. Georgia will not receive any real compensation for its anti-Russian stunt from the EU or the US. It will not be accepted into NATO and the EU,” the Russian official claimed.

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Against the background of such events, Klimov continued, “I do not exclude… Adjara may well follow the example of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and begin the process of secession from Georgia.”

“In view of the historical (pro-Turkish), religious (Islamic), and geographic (the country shares a border with Turkey by sea) circumstances, it is easy to understand that Ankara will not miss an opportunity to increase its influence in the northern Black Sea region through supporting the Adjarian separatists,” the Russian official speculated.

In a conversation with Civil Georgia, Fatma Ceren Yazgan, Turkish Ambassador to Tbilisi rebuffed Klimov’s allegations: “Turkey supports the internationally recognized borders, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of Georgia.”

“This is crystal clear. That is the official position and will always be,” Ambassador Yazgan added.

Over the past years, Russian-leaning political and media actors in Georgia have been repeatedly spreading scaremongering reports that Turkey would take over parts of Georgia.

Media Development Foundation, a local watchdog, found in its Anti-Western Propaganda report that conspiracy theories claiming Turkey would occupy Adjara were disseminated “with the aim to emphasize the importance of Russia in protecting the country from a ‘Turkish threat’.”

Adjara, a southwestern Georgian region on the Black Sea coast, is home to 333,953 people, as per the latest 2014 census. Their 96%, that is 320,742 people are ethnic Georgians.

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