Georgian interior ministry: 'special police operation' is possible in Adjaria

The Adjarian crisis must be resolved in a peaceful way and without bloodshed, Georgian Interior Minister Georgy Baramidze told journalists today, April 28. At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility that a "special police operation" could be conducted in the autonomy. "No one will tolerate the existence of a feudal microstate within Georgia," Mr Baramidze emphasized.

To remind, commenting on the situation in Adjaria on April 24, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili threatened to solve this problem with the use of force. However, on April 25 he stated he did not intend to apply force to the resolution of the conflict with the Adjarian leadership and invited the head of the autonomy, Aslan Abashidze, to arrive in Tbilisi to attend a session of the county's government. Today, large-scale military exercises have started in immediate proximity to the border between Georgia and Adjaria. 1,000 servicemen of the Georgian defense ministry, aircrafts, warships, tanks, and heavy armored vehicles are involved in the exercises. Special operations units of Georgian security ministries are also taking part in the manoeuvres for the first time.