How Shevardnadze became “enemy of Georgia” and what it threatens the Caucasus

The “old fox” Edward Shevardnadze doesn’t sit retired. It would seem, it is time to fall into memoirs in the 85th year of life, but the Hero of Socialist Work and the long-term head firstly of the Soviet and then independent Georgia continues to make statements which can aggravate considerably a situation in the Caucasus.

Not so long ago Edward Amvrosiyevich was suddenly concerned with demography, and, to tell more precisely, came down on Armenia like a neighbour! And he made it not in private conversation, but in interview to the known weekly in the republic.

There was an occasion: during the visit to Georgia the president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan discussed the questions of construction of the road with Mikheil Saakashvili which will connect Armenia and Adzharia through the mountain pass. The sense that the new route should increases considerably a flow of tourists from Armenia to Georgia. The particular interest in this respect causes Batumi, of course.

Generally, it was decided to build the road quicker – but Edward Shevardnadze saw the threat in it neither more nor less, but of the national security of Georgia! He explained to journalists of the Asaval-dasavali weekly: “This project can create the demographic problems for Georgia”.

Shevardnadze even made the excursus to the history, having compared nowadays to a situation in the 30th years of the last century when “the Georgians were less than the Armenians and Azerbaijanians” in Georgia. He reminded that “the first secretary of Communist Party of Georgia was Candide Charkviani who gradually began to work in the direction of a demographic condition correction of the nation in what succeeded, but was accused of nationalism and displaced from a position”.

And today they again “led the nation to eradication” in his opinion. And the person worries very much whose influence on the Georgian policy can't be underestimated, that there will be more the Armenians in Adzharia. Even gave the curious example: “Look at Abkhazia, the Armenians are more than Abkhazians there”.

Shevardnadze adds the church in the policy. He publicly declared in interview of “Asaval-Dasavali” that “he intends to visit the Patriarch and to apologize for parliamentarians who don't know what do”. And the matter is that the parliament of the republic made the amendments to the Civil code, according to which the status of the legal entity of public law is given now to five religious associations. The matter is about the Judaic community and Baptist church, the Armenian Apostolic church, Catholic Church and the Muslim community.

It would seem, with what to argue here?! But the Shevardnadze draws a conclusion that the new points in the law “can lead to emergence of the Armenian claims not only for churches in Georgia, but also in its territory”. Also adds that the Georgian authorities will make concessions to Armenia and will transfer them some churches about which there are the disputes. For what purpose the logic needs if there is an idea! And not simply so such skilled politician as Edward Shevardnadze declares: “neighbours of Georgia breed and don't find room in the borders, as a result they start to grasp the territories of Georgia” …

May be the similar statements are made specially. The situation needs to be heated to try to rally public opinion in the face of mythical external threat, and then it is possible to explain to the voters who have stunned by “truth of life” that only the immediate introduction in the block of NATO will solve all problems. Probably, the demographic too …

But what is interesting: in 2001 the president of Georgia Edward Shevardnadze publicly declared that the Georgian conflicting with Armenia is an enemy of Georgia and the Armenian conflicting with Georgia, first of all the enemy of Armenia …

And how is it possible to trust “old fox” anxious with demographic problems?!