16:04, 19 March 2004

Mikhail Saakashvili: no conflict between Georgia and Adjaria

Talks between Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze were conducted in Batumi yesterday. After they had been finished, Mikhail Saakashvili declared all main issues to be settled. "We reached total mutual understanding with Abashidze," the president said. "The main thing is that democratic system and peace have been maintained. There is no conflict between Adjaria and Georgia," he emphasized. In particular, he said the parties had come to the agreement that representatives of the Georgian president would control loads together with local customs officials at the Batumi part and Sarpi custom house, which is at the Turkish border. It means the county's central budget will be supplemented.

Sanctions against the autonomy will be lifted as soon as the free holding of the election campaign starts, cases against people detained for their participation in opposition meetings are reviewed with the assistance of the Georgian Prosecutor General's Office, and the population is disarmed, Mikhail Saakashvili assured.

Editors note: See also the article "Saakashvili, Abashidze to meet in Batumi".

Source: RosBusinessConsulting News Agency