January 15, 2004 - 21:06 AMT
GEORGIAN DEPUTY SAYS DESTABILIZATION IN JAVAKHETIA DUE TO RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE WITHDRAWAL IMPOSSIBLE
There should not be economic causes for destabilization of situation in Samtskhe-Javakhetia region of Georgia, said Georgian Parliament deputy, member of "Burjanadze-Democrats" pro-authority bloc, former minister for revenue Mikheil Machavariani at an online press conference, when asked a question on possible unrest among the Armenian population of Javakhetia in case of withdrawal of the Russian military base, which is the main source of earnings for them. In Machavariani's words, the central and renewed regional authorities will do everything for the residents of the Akhalkalaki, Ninotsminda and other regions of Samtskhe-Javakhetia to have earnings independent from foreign military bases. By the way, he added, there are neither bases in Ninotsminda, nor destabilization.