Turkey calls for calm in troubled Georgia
In fresh tension between Tbilisi and Adjaria, rebels blasted two bridges linking Adjaria to the Georgian heartland on Sunday, saying they feared an invasion by Georgian government forces in the former Soviet republic. Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze justified the move, which occurred on the final days of Georgian military exercises adjacent to his region, as necessary in order to prevent a military invasion.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili gave Adjarian rebels 10 days to disarm and submit to Georgian law, pledging not to use force to crush Adjarian autonomy.
In his telephone conversation with Gul, Zvania informed Ankara of these latest developments. Gul said Turkey was following the stand-off with great concern and added that an armed clash in the region was not in the interests of anybody in the area.
Gul assured Zvania that Ankara was prepared to help ease the tension, if necessary.
High concern
"Turkey follows developments with great concern," said a statement from the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, emphasizing that Turkey sees stability in Georgia as vital.
"Turkey has no doubt that the parties involved will act with moderation and restraint," the statement said, which went on to praise the Georgian government’s remarks that peaceful methods would be used in resolving the tension.
"Turkey is determined to maintain its good relations with Georgia on the basis of friendship and the principles of being a good neighbor. Turkey has proved several times, not only with words but also with actions, that it is a friend to the whole of Georgia," it continued.
Turkey’s Sarp border gate with Georgia is located in Adjaria, a Muslim enclave. News reports said traffic at the gate had come to a standstill after the recent rise in tension between Tbilisi and Abashizde.
Georgia is also a transit country for the multi-billion-dollar Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil project, which is set to transfer crude oil from Azerbaijan’s offshore oil fields to Western markets through Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.
