Saakashvili and the developments in Ajara

Résumé du document

Ajara is the only autonomous region in the South Caucasus that never fought an armed conflict with its central government. In the Georgian context, the non-violent resolution of the Ajara crisis following the Rose revolution makes a particular sense compared to the situation in South-Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The main event of this period is of course the departure of the Ajara ruler Aslan Abashidze, whose ancestors occupied the function of sandjak bay and for that reason a big role in Ajaran politics1, in May 2004 after an escalation of tensions with the new Georgian President, Mikhail Saakachvili. As a consequence, Saakachvili was given credit both in Georgia and on the international scene for this first success as President of Georgia.

But understanding Saakachvili's influence on the developments in Ajara requires much more than history of the events that led to Abashidze's departure. First of all, the rise and the revolution of the Ajaran crises are understandable only if the economical and ethno-religious specificities of Ajara are considered. Secondly, it seems necessary to analyze Abashidze's miscalculations and the regime of which they are the product. Finally, we will pay a particular attention to Saakachvili strategy in Ajara and discuss if the resolution of the Ajara crisis is really the democratic success it claims to be.

Extraits

[...] This is the perfect time to tell people. «There is no money in the country because Aslan Abashidze stole it This point of view reveals the perception of Saakachvili's growing authoritarinism by local observers. Sources Dartchiachvili, David and Urjewicz, Charles “L'Adjarie, carrefour de civilisations et d'empires”, Cahiers d'Etudes sur la Mediterranée et le Monde Turco-Iranien (CEMOTI), N°27 January-June 1999 Radvanyi, Jean and Beroutchchvili, Nicolas “L'Adjarie, atout et point sensible de la Géorgie”, Cahiers d'Etudes sur la Mediterranée et le Monde Turco-Iranien (CEMOTI), N°27 January-June 1999 “Saakashvili's Ajara success: repeatable elsewhere in Georgia?”, International Crisis Group European Report August 2004 ●Various articles and analysis on the websites of : Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty http://www.rferl.org, Institute for War and Peace Reporting http://www.iwpr.net/, Eurasianet http://www.eurasianet.org, Central Asia Caucasus Institute, http://cacianalyst.org Dartchiachvili, David and Urjewicz, Charles “L'Adjarie, carrefour de civilisations et d'empires”, Cahiers d'Etudes sur la Mediterranée et le Monde Turco-Iranien (CEMOTI), N°27 January-June 1999 Radvanyi, Jean and Beroutchchvili, Nicolas “L'Adjarie, atout et point sensible de la Géorgie”, Cahiers d'Etudes sur la Mediterranée et le Monde Turco-Iranien (CEMOTI), N°27 January-June 1999, p230 “Saakashvili's Ajara success: repeatable elsewhere in Georgia?”, International Crisis Group European Report August 2004 ICG, op . [...]

[...] But understanding Saakachvili's influence on the developments in Ajara requires much more than an history of the events that led to Abashidze's departure. First of all, the rise and the revolution of the Ajaran crises is understandable only if the economical and ethno-religious specificities of Ajara are considered. Secondly, it seems necessary to analyse Abashidze's miscalculations and the regime of which they are the product. Finally, we will pay a particular attention to Saakachvili strategy in Ajara and discuss if the resolution of the Ajara crisis is really the democratic success it claims to be. [...]

[...] Abashidze's interest was thus to support the elections strongly criticized by Saakachvili's supporters. During the campaign, the National Mouvement candidates were assaulted and the party premises vandalised in Batumi. Then, Sheverdnadze sent Abashidze as his personal envoy in Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. And on the 18th of November, Abashidze's supporters from Ajara joined several thousand pro-Shaverdnadze demonstrators in front of the Georgian parliament. Abashidze had lost his chance to win the Saakachvili's good will. B.The defection of the Russian ally The second miscalculation was to rely on the Russian ally. [...]

[...] Two specifities of Ajara are particularly relevant to explain the 2004 developments in the autonomous repulic. These are the strategic and economic importance of Ajara and the ethnic and religious belongings of its population. A.An economically strategic region The location of Ajara brings two main advantages to its economy. First, the Batumi port has been the key transit point for oil from the Caspian sea. A first oil pipe-line between Baku and Bahumi was built in the first decade of the twentiest century. [...]

[...] A.Abashidze and the Rose revolution First, he supported to the end Sheverdnadze against Saakachvili's forces. However, Abashidze's stance towards Shaverdnaze and more generally had not always been determined by this coalition of interests: In 1991, Abashidze was appointed Chairman of the Ajaran Supreme Council by Gamsakhurdia. But early in 1992, after the overthrow of Gamsakhurdia, he separated his region from the central authorities, and thus successfully avoided the spread of the civil war in Ajara. Then is relations with Shaverdnadze were tense, Shaverdnadze criticizing him and at the same time appearing reluctant to challenge his rule in Ajara. [...]