Georgian digest: excerpts
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Subject: Georgian digest: excerpts
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
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Georgian digest: excerpts
ANNOTATED DAILY HEADLINES
OF THE GEORGIAN PRESS
Compiled by the Caucasian Institute for Peace, Democracy and
Development (CIPDD)
Text: Tamara Shamil
English version: Guram Dumbadze
Editor: Emil Adelkhanov-Steinberg
October 5, 1998
............................
2. Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia Attempting to Win over the
Meskhetian Turks
In his interview with the newspaper, David Djaparidze, senior advisor
of the minister for refugees' settlement, comments on the September
7-8 international meeting on the problem of Muslim Meskhetians, held
in the Hague by the OSCE High Commissariat for Ethnic Minorities and
the UN High Commissariat for Refugees, and sponsored by the Soros
Foundation. Tbilisi suggested that repatriation of the Meskhetians
should be carried out alongside with the return of the refugees from
Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The organisers of the meeting offered
serious assistance programs including the search for donor
organisations which would finance the adaptation and integration
projects for Meskhetians which are to be worked out by Georgian
specialists. The Soros Foundation will finance Georgian language
courses for Meskhetians in the CIS countries, while some European
organisations will provide money for sociological surveys to find out
the exact number of the Meskhetians willing to get back to Georgia.
"7 Dge" No. 116, October 5-6, pp. 1, 2
............................
4. Abkhaz Forces Fired upon the Georgian Internal Troops
Abkhaz forces fired at the villages of Khurcha and Ganmukhuri, Zugdidi
district, controlled by the Georgian Internal Troops late at night on
October 3. The Georgians responded in the same way. The firing lasted
for about an hour and triggered panic among the villagers.
"Meridiani 44" No. 115, October 5-7, p. 3
............................
6. An Adjarian Delegation Met Lortkipanidze
Vazha Lortkipanidze has met a large delegation of the Adjarian
high-ranking officials today. The talks were focused on the problems
in the relationship between the centre and the region. The delegation
was discontent with the Georgian mass media which, in their opinion,
carried out a campaign against Adjaria and its leader. Aslan
Abashidze, in their words, may even demand to close some newspapers.
The members of the delegation demand a meeting between Abashidze's
representative and Temur Khachishvili, the former security minister of
Georgia, who is currently tried on some serious charges. A week or so
ago, Khachishvili declared that the central authorities were plotting
an assassination attempt against Abashidze and the former security
minister of Georgia, who is now hiding from the Georgian
law-enforcement authorities.
Iprinda. "Resonance" No. 269, October 2, p. 2
October 7, 1998
............................
3. The Oil Pipeline Will Inevitably Result in Confrontation with
Armenia
It is President Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan, who is actually to
approve at the end of October the decision on exporting "big" Caspian
oil through the Baku-Ceyhan route. The choice of the rout was backed
by political rather than technical or economic reasons. After Russia
began to supply Armenia actively
with its armaments, Azerbaijan has finally turned to Turkey as a
member the NATO. If the pipeline starts
to function, Azerbaijan will turn out a largest oil exporter and one
of the richest countries of the region, which may help it to regain
Karabakh. To prevent this, Armenia will surely try, with Russian help,
to provoke a new military conflict (Baku is already demanding to work
out joint measures to protect the pipeline). Then Georgia will have to
choose between Baku and Yerevan, and that may be the end of our
balanced foreign policy.
Zurab Gogoberidze. "7 Dge" No. 117, October 6-7, p. 4
October 9, 1998
............................
2. Delegations from Tbilisi and Sukhumi To Meet in Athens
At the initiative of the Greek government, representatives of Georgian
and Abkhaz intelligentsia will meet for informal talks under the UN
aegis in Athens on October 15-16. The delegations will be headed by
Vazha Lortkipanidze, the Georgian state minister, and Sergey Bagapsh,
the Abkhaz prime-minister. Takos Kriekus, the ambassador of Greece to
Georgia, will visit Abkhazia on October 10 to make some preparations
for the talks.
Pikria Margiani. "Sakartvelos Gazeti" No. 121, October 9, p. 1
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