Georgian President blames Russia for shots fired near motorcade
Ian Brockwell
November 23, 2008
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was traveling with Polish President Lech Kaczynski on Sunday, when shots were heard near the motorcade.
No one was hurt in the shooting and it is unclear where the shots came from. According to an Associated Press report "Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said the shots were fired as the motorcade approached a Russian military checkpoint near the Akhalgori in South Ossetia. But lawmaker Marika Verulashvili said the incident happened as the motorcade approached a Georgian police checkpoint near the breakaway province after visiting a camp of Georgian refugees."
However, Saakashvili was as certain as ever that the Russian´s were behind the shooting and said "The reality is you are dealing with unpredictable people. They weren't happy to see our guest and they weren't happy to see me either"
It may be true that Russia would not be happy to see either President at the moment, but to attempt a shooting of this nature? I think not! As for unpredictable, Saakashvili should know all about that, promising peace one day and attacking South Ossetia only hours later!
Kaczynski claimed that he knew the people responsible for the shooting were Russians because of the way they were shouting. Perhaps what he doesn´t know is that almost every Georgian can speak Russian, as this was the common language during Soviet times. It would be very difficult (almost impossible) for a foreigner to tell the difference between a Russian and a Georgian speaking Russian, unless they have spent some time in either country.
Even though European and US support for Saakashvili has dwindled considerably over the last few months, David Bakradze, Georgia's Parliament speaker, urged the international community to condemn the shooting.
The previously biased reporting seen during the height of the conflict between Russia and Georgia has all but vanished, and many now openly criticize Georgia´s role in the war, or make no comment at all.
Although this was the fifth anniversary of Georgia's "Rose Revolution", very few were celebrating in Georgia, in fact thousands turned out to demonstrate against Saakashvili´s leadership. Signs carried by the demonstrators read "Your time is up, we are Full of your mistakes"
This is another reason why Russia would not get involved in any shooting incident, they have no need to. Saakashvili is being disowned by the West, and the Georgian people are making it clear who they think is to blame for the war.
In the meantime, Russia will wait until Georgia select a new President and then try to rebuild the relationship between the two countries. The same tactics are being used with the US, with Russia waiting for Obama to take control before having any serious talks.
Ex-Soviet states like Georgia and the Ukraine need to understand that the most stable partner they can hope for is Russia, a partner that has already proved to be of benefit to their countries and its people. Whilst the grass may be greener on the "other side" for its leaders, this only applies while they remain of some use, as Saakashvili is beginning to find out!
No one was hurt in the shooting and it is unclear where the shots came from. According to an Associated Press report "Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said the shots were fired as the motorcade approached a Russian military checkpoint near the Akhalgori in South Ossetia. But lawmaker Marika Verulashvili said the incident happened as the motorcade approached a Georgian police checkpoint near the breakaway province after visiting a camp of Georgian refugees."
However, Saakashvili was as certain as ever that the Russian´s were behind the shooting and said "The reality is you are dealing with unpredictable people. They weren't happy to see our guest and they weren't happy to see me either"It may be true that Russia would not be happy to see either President at the moment, but to attempt a shooting of this nature? I think not! As for unpredictable, Saakashvili should know all about that, promising peace one day and attacking South Ossetia only hours later!
Kaczynski claimed that he knew the people responsible for the shooting were Russians because of the way they were shouting. Perhaps what he doesn´t know is that almost every Georgian can speak Russian, as this was the common language during Soviet times. It would be very difficult (almost impossible) for a foreigner to tell the difference between a Russian and a Georgian speaking Russian, unless they have spent some time in either country.
Even though European and US support for Saakashvili has dwindled considerably over the last few months, David Bakradze, Georgia's Parliament speaker, urged the international community to condemn the shooting.
The previously biased reporting seen during the height of the conflict between Russia and Georgia has all but vanished, and many now openly criticize Georgia´s role in the war, or make no comment at all.
Although this was the fifth anniversary of Georgia's "Rose Revolution", very few were celebrating in Georgia, in fact thousands turned out to demonstrate against Saakashvili´s leadership. Signs carried by the demonstrators read "Your time is up, we are Full of your mistakes"
This is another reason why Russia would not get involved in any shooting incident, they have no need to. Saakashvili is being disowned by the West, and the Georgian people are making it clear who they think is to blame for the war.
In the meantime, Russia will wait until Georgia select a new President and then try to rebuild the relationship between the two countries. The same tactics are being used with the US, with Russia waiting for Obama to take control before having any serious talks.
Ex-Soviet states like Georgia and the Ukraine need to understand that the most stable partner they can hope for is Russia, a partner that has already proved to be of benefit to their countries and its people. Whilst the grass may be greener on the "other side" for its leaders, this only applies while they remain of some use, as Saakashvili is beginning to find out!