Georgia Dispatches: Inside Gori
After the failed attempt to enter the Russian-occupied town of Gori in a convoy organized by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union on Saturday, another opportunity emerged two days later when Moscow indicated it would give the order for its troops to leave the town the same day. Nobody believed them, of course, but the international media pack in town had to be there just in case. Reuters had decided to leave for Gori at 7 in the morning while AFP would start out a little later at 9.30.
Given that we had to get into Gori, a town where 90 percent of the population had already fled following Russian cluster-bomb attacks and where Russian troops now patrolled the streets, we decided to leave at 8.30 am following the New York Times’ car which would otherwise try to sneak in if the Russians weren’t true to their word. Indeed, despite the risk of running into South Ossetian militia, finding alternate routes into Gori really was the order of the day.Just under 50 miles from Tbilisi, the birthplace of the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin was now the most strategically important town in the country. Controlling it, especially after the bombing of a railway bridge on the outskirts of nearby Kaspi, the Russians had effectively cut off the main transport route connecting East and West. Most of its inhabitants had fled creating a considerable problem with IDPs and everyone was expecting the Russians to finally leave.
And for a while at least all indications where that this might happen. In the last part of the Georgian-controlled section of the Gori road, dozens of local police dressed smartly and brandishing semi-automatic weapons stood alongside the road with their vehicles parked a little way ahead. It seemed more like preparations for a publicity event than security, and after passing the first Russian military checkpoint at Igoeti, there even appeared to be less tanks dug-in alongside of the road.
The full post accompanied by photographs is at: blog.oneworld.am
With some very real doubts and concerns raised by Moscow’s inability to withdraw its troops from urban centers such as Gori as well as ethnic-Georgian populated towns and villages in West Georgia and South Ossetia, the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Tbilisi is considerable.
And while the number of IDPs varies given the random and uncoordinated nature of their arrival in the Georgian capital, one thing is certain. They number in their tens of thousands and create further problems for a country still having to deal with hundreds of thousands of displaced persons from previous conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. UNHCR has already detailed the extent of the problem and its contribution to a $58.5 million emergency fund.
The full post accompanied by photographs is at: blog.oneworld.am
Georgia: French Ambassador Detained, Gori Closed Off
Having reinstalled checkpoints in Gori — although there were enough of them already — as well as detaining the French Ambassador to Georgia on the outskirts of the town comes new concerns. The Georgian government reports that Moscow is now limiting movement into the occupied town — despite assurances that it was planning to withdraw its forces days ago.Although there has been no independent confirmation on this news, visits by journalists were already restricted and a back route into Gori via Kaspi has now reportedly been closed off. Given the situation in the town, this makes monitoring the situation of those Georgians who remain, as well as Russian troop deployment, all the more difficult.
The full post is at: blog.oneworld.am
Georgia: Saakashvili Support Still Strong
As mentioned in a previous post, if there were hopes that Russia’s continued occupation of parts of Georgia would contribute to the downfall of the country’s president, Mikhail Saakashvili, the move appears to have backfired.Instead of playing on divisions and discontent in society, EurasiaNet reports that the Russian invasion of Georgia appears to have achieved the opposite.
The full post is at: blog.oneworld.am
On The Road To Gori
It was meant to be the day to check the situation of IDPs in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, but a routine call to a government media coordinator changed all of that. Peter Semenby, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, and Urmas Paet, the Estonian Foreign Minister, were planning to visit Gori, the strategic town occupied by Russian forces 47 miles West of Tbilisi.
With numerous cases of journalists being targeted and even killed in and around Gori, the chance to enter was one that couldn’t be missed. The town had already been hit twice by Russian cluster bombs and most of the population had fled. South Ossetian militia were operating in the area and Georgians and international organizations were adamant — DO NOT visit Gori.[...]But, with two high-ranking European officials along for the ride, how could we not?
The full post accompanied by photographs is at: blog.oneworld.am
Georgia: Armenian Trade Concerns
When Russia destroyed the main railway bridge on the outskirts of Kaspi not only did they completely disrupt communications between West and East Georgia following the occupation of nearby Gori, but they also disrupted Armenia’s main trade route. RFE/RL reports that Yerevan is assisting Tbilisi in repairing the strategic bridge.
The full post is at: blog.oneworld.am
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