My compatriots,
Today the government of Georgia has passed an important examination.
Many years later we have restored complete control of the Georgian government in the Kodori Gorge. Actually, after the Abkhazian war, we lost this control.
Any attempts of my predecessor and his government to enter the Kodori Gorge and to state a control or to strengthen any kind of jurisdiction there, collided with confrontation of the local, criminalized, militarized inspired gang.
I would like to inform you, that it I the gang, which several years ago took hostages the legitimate government of the Autonomic Republic of Abkhazia, which had come to the Kodori Gorge for meeting with the local population, bet them severely and drove out from Kodori.
This is the gang, which regularly threw transmission facilities down with application of firearms, and demanded money from the local government for that the population of Georgia would have power supply.
These are the people, who the current year, in the coldest winter, turned off the only line of power supply for the population of Georgia then, when Russia set Georgia to power blockade.
During the last days this group rose against the government of Georgia openly and publicly declared the claim that the jurisdiction of Georgia was not applied on the most important, strategic part of our territory.
Our government considered it to be an impudent declaration.
We are speaking about a very important and strategic part of Georgia.
It is not casual, when we are speaking about the succession of events, the main assignment of which is to oscillate the intra stability in Georgia and to return Georgia to the chaos and misfortune, from which we have gone out after the Rose Revolution.
Let's remember, what has been done against us for the last several months: Georgia has been declared an economical embargo; Georgia wine was prohibited with the hope, that it would cause a revolt in Kakhetia and would make problems to the government.
But the population defied this provocation.
WE were arranged a blockade of our citruses and Georgian tea with the hope, that in west Georgia the population would begin protest actions against the government.
We were arranged the complete power blockade with the hope that the population of Georgia would go out to the streets and blame the government of Georgia for it.
During the power blockade our people showed unprecedented firmness and consolidation, what our evil-wishers did not expect. This is the plan, carried out by the people, who do not want independence of Georgia.
These are the people, the function of whom is to show that Georgia is an unstable country, that it has got a weak government that it has got no prospects, that the people of Georgia do not support their own government and do not believe in their future.
Or, the maximum of it is changing of the regime in Georgia, bringing of such a government and statement of such a regime, which would eliminate prospects for Georgia, cut down the way to the NATO and the most important power line, which goes to Europe through Georgia.
Such a government would despair the people of the territory of the former Soviet Union to struggle for democracy and better future and bring Georgia as an example.
You should be either blind or a fool or an enemy of your own people if you do not notice this influence.
We are speaking about abnormal pressure, which are realized by very rich and powerful forces to punish Georgia.
We are not punished because Georgia has made a resolution on withdrawing of peacemaking forces from the territory of our country and the time of this provocation concurred with the days after making of the resolution.
We are not punished, because I have met the President of America and political leaders of other countries, who declare open support to us.
We are punished not because we have openly fixed our wish of membership in the NATO, not because we would like to have a part of those guarantees of the Euro Atlantic space, which will give us the guarantees of safety and protection of Georgia and take us back to the historical European home.
We are very close to this decision, which will give us the possibility to make membership of Georgia in the NATO inevitable.
Those people know it well and that is why they are worried.
We are punished because of one main reason - Georgia has decided to become a really independent, democratic, united and successful country.
The reason of this punishment is that it makes it its aim to cause inversion of everything, what we have achieved for the last years.
Several days ago, when this provocation began in Kodori, since the very first days of open declaration of disobedience and brigandage, the Russian mass media elucidated this fact as a more important one than the military actions in Lebanon of in other hot points.
Therefore delay, postponing or making of any kind of compromise with enemies of order and freedom of Georgia was inadmissible in this situation.
We have acted correctly and we shall always behave like this, when it is necessary for our country and preservation of its independence and for protection of our population.
This is our obligation, as of a government, patriots of our country and the people, inspired with the faith of its unity.
We have sent a group of special purpose to the Kodori Gorge.
We have suggested to criminals, which terrorized the local population to lay down the arms and to surrender.
We were not going to step back or to pay money because of this blackmailing, as the preceding government used to do it - there was not way for compromise.
Our attempts to repairs schools and ambulatories in Kodori, to bring products for the population, to restore the airport, were ceased at some moment, but we have begun it again.
Everything was finished with that a great part of our aid got in the hands of these gangsters and became their plunder.
When your jurisdiction actually is not applied and the population is actually taken hostages, then it is impossible to render aid to your own population.
We should acknowledge that we have not managed to do it at the corresponding level.
Since today everything has changed, we are going to get down in it very seriously.
I would like to return to the operation in the Kodori Gorge.
Today all the settlements have returned under the jurisdiction of Georgia once and forever successfully and at the corresponding level. Our special group, which moved in the Kodori Gorge, right at entrance into the Gorge was intensively fired at. From all the sides criminals were fighting not against some kind of a group, but against the special legal contingent of the government of Georgia.
It is natural that there was a strict instruction to the legal contingent not to open fire the first, but only to respond to the fire, opened by the criminals.
After that, when several employee were gravely wounded, they opened the reciprocal fire and bet off the first attack of the criminals.
After that we repeatedly offered them to lay down their arms and to leave the place, even more than that, when the second day when we tried to transfer our association by helicopters in order to control the rest of the boarder with Abkhazia, these helicopters were fired from all the sides.
Two of them were damaged and hardly reached the first secure point - Tsalenjikhe, where landing of these helicopters was safe.
Despite of confrontation anyway we have managed to transfer the special group.
Certainly, in such a situation our forces opened the reciprocal fire in order to diminish the weapon emplacements.
With a special pain I would like to emphasize that during this skirmish a local inhabitant was lost.
On behalf of my family I would like to express my condolences in relation to death of this person.
The death of this person weighs on the conscience of these gangsters and scum, who used women and children as a shield and strengthened in densely populated settlements.
They opened fire at our formations from the middle of these people.
We should realize what meant shaking down of these helicopters - it means inevitable death of tens of our employees.
I would like to state that they have survived thanks to the God.
This death weights on the conscience of people, who instead of appearance on television and appealing to these people to lay down the arms, day and night called them to oppose to the end.
These were not forces, staffed with concrete people; these are the best protection forces of the Georgian state.
There were people, absolutely indifferent, who stated it on the television, "fight to the end", this victim weights on their conscience.
We should realize, in what region the control, constitutional order and jurisdiction has been restored.
It is a very important and valuable place of our territory.
The Kodori Gorge is the middle of Abkhazia.
From the Kodori Gorge and from the territory, where we were not allowed, the most important sanctuaries: Bedia Monastery, the Bichvinti Blessed Virgin Historical Cathedral, Saint George Church, Ritsi Lake and finally the capital of our Abkhazia - Sokhumi is very close.
All this is at the at arm's length from Kodori.
Certainly, we would not give a possibility to anybody not to apply the jurisdiction of Georgia on this territory. I would like to emphasize one fact: it was not the fight for a territory, but for protection of the people, who were unprotected during all these years.
After the Abkhazian war, much more people were lost there from the hands of gangsters, there was much more terror and robbery, than during the Abkhazian war.
Therefore protection of these people is our main assignment.
Just because they used women and children as a shield, our armed forces made a decision at 1:30 a.m.: to allow the gangsters to leave the location and to leave for the forest.
We shall make any measures so that they would not be opposed and would not be able to cause more victims, especially in the Kodori Gorge.
I would like to express my special admiration to the people, who kindly met participants of the operation, gave them a shelter at their houses, brought them food, though we have got a rather supplied group.
I would like to gratify the people, who cooperated with the law machinery and provided them with the information, which they need for detection of location of the gangsters.
I would like to gratify each inhabitant of Kodori and the whole population of this region, also to the population of Samegrelo, who since the beginning of the operation did their best to support our contingent for their movement in Samegrelo. We must not forget it. We have got unusually kind, patriotic society, even in the most distant and inaccessible places.
I would like to emphasize the professionalism and civil consciousness of our group of special purpose especially.
These are the people, who were trained during the last years, who went to the Georgian state service, who risked their life for that the number of victim would be the minimal.
These are the people, who despite of wounds, longed to return.
These are the pilots, who managed to land helicopters, which were in an accident condition, then managed to repair them and to come back.
One of them got two bullets and only the body of revolver saved him from inevitable death.
These are the people, the main purpose of who is restoration of the territorial integrity of Georgia.
We shall achieve it.
We speak about very important issues concerning the future of this country: whether Georgia will be united in a peaceful democratic way and whether Georgia will be a formed state.
We are already a formed state, we should press it last and all the time.
Nobody, especially the terrible force, which does the best for it, should have a wish to shake us, or cause any kind of destabilization; the wish to see us fractured and knocked out.
I would like to gratify the people, who realize it; it concerns the greatest majority, practically our whole society, and a serious part of our political specter.
Nevertheless, it does not relate to everybody, I was very much surprised with reaction of some of the people.
I was also surprised with absolute irresponsible actions of some media during dislocation of our legal organs.
We are a democratic country and it is possible to say and consider everything on the television.
Though every democratic country, for which the freedom of press and speech is important, has got its norms, which regulate the actions, which may result to completely inadmissible results.
We have got such media, which during moving of representatives of our group, on the air specified the exact number of the moving groups, numbers of the license plates of the cars, showed faces of participants in the operation and the exact time of dislocation.
Then, when we turned off the telephone connection with the purpose of that the criminals would not be able to exchange with information, criminals had got the opportunity to find everything our by means of television.
I think that there is self-respect, care, responsibility and dignity, which should unite all of us, despite of the given instruction and the forces, supporting of each type of such information and propaganda.
First of all we are the children of this country and only then representatives of different professions.
We should also realize, what applications were made during the last days.
We do not revenge to anybody, but the gang, which is scattered in Kodori even now operated in direct coordination and agreement with the most leading representatives of separatist regime.
Yesterday I listened to the statement of Bagapsh that they had agreed with the criminals that they would not oppose them, would not make any problems; in exchange the government of Georgia should not have entered the territory.
From the party of separatists it was the guarantee of non-interference for the gang.
The person, who supplied them with people, arms and expressed political support was certain Kupalba.
I would like to repeat: Georgia does not have bad memory, the Georgian people can forgive and they are not revengeful.
But I would everyone to remember: this is Kupalba, who in Autumn of 1992 played football with cut off heads of Georgians at the Gagra Stadium.
This is Kupalba, who is their main messenger.
How can I appeal to the person, who has got such contacts with any good epithets and to declare him to be any kind of serious person or an admissible figure?
How can I admit that these people would define the order in any of the parts of Georgia and to decide whom they allow, whom they do not, how to treat the local population and in what regime he should operate there.
This period of time is over and will never return.
In relation to the Kodori Gorge, I would like to make several statements.
Today, according to the agreement with the Chairman of the Parliament, Prime Minister and other members of the Georgian government, we have made a resolution to accommodate the government of Abkhazia in the Kodori Gorge, which will apply the complete jurisdiction of the government of Georgia on this territory, establish complete control, bring the life to normal condition and begin construction works.
I would like you to realize, what this decision means from the political point of view.
It means, that in the middle of Abkhazia, on the most important part of Abkhazia the Georgian jurisdiction will be applied and the constitutional order of Georgia will be strengthened.
It is a very important fact and a very fundamental political event.
I personally thought, that the place of the government of Abkhazia is not in the Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, simply gangsters did not let them in there and denied any attempt for contact.
Now the legitimate government of Abkhazia (the government of the people, who were driven out from this territory, insulted and eliminated), will be accommodated in Kodori and Kodori will be declared to be a temporary administrative legitimate center.
As Georgia has lost control over Abkhazia and actual control is not carried out, some people wanted to legalize the situation, existed there.
Till now we were said that Abkhazia should separate from Georgia as well as Kosovo from Serbia.
Russian representatives of the highest level used to say it to us.
Since today this situation is over: today Georgia directly controls the most important and strategic part of Abkhazia.
No one, especially a separate group, will not be able to speak on behalf of the territory of Abkhazia and our citizens, who have remained there.
There already a legitimate government will be accommodated, which settles all the issues and speaks to the rest of the world on behalf of Georgia.
At the same time, I would like to say, that Georgia has got no aggressive intentions in relation to the rest of the population of Abkhazia.
Georgia is not going to pass to any confrontation; Georgia is going to continue the peaceful process and to present a new peaceful initiative.
In the nearest days we intend to carry out a Chuburkhinji four-party meeting, where we shall consider all the moot points.
I would like everybody know that intentions of the Georgian state are peaceful and constructive.
More than anytime we are such constructive, flexible and more than anytime we shall struggle for that there would not be any confrontation, or even more than that large-scale conflict in Abkhazia, so that there would not take place any escalation of the situation.
At the same time I would like every separatists' leader, about whom we are specking, to know it well, that the result of any agreement, any political process will be only inevitable and final restoration of the integrity of Georgia on the whole territory of the country.
Certainly, it will happen at stipulation of legitimate, legal interests of all the parties, certainly, at stipulation of the interests of the Abkhazian nation and people of the other nations, residing there.
Nobody should feel in danger and no one should face unjustified risk or problems of long duration.
Everybody should realize that we have great patience, but there are 300 thousand refuges behind this patience and there are not only Georgians among them, but also people of other nationalities, who were bereaved of their houses, property, human advantage and the most important right - to live on the land, where they had born and grown up, where they created it with their own hands.
They were bereaved of the right and advantage and were bereaved of the graves of their ancestry.
They cannot return and even see these places.
Therefore, when we are speaking about the interests of our brothers Abkhazians, everyone should realize, that the constituent of these interests is stipulation of the interests of all those people, who were driven out, humiliated and hurt.
Each of them should return to his motherland and all together should reestablish a new joint Georgian state model of civil peace and ethnical and civil cooperation.
We adhere to this policy.
We shall make no compromise concerning this theme: neither with the critics of foreign countries, not with some our rather irresponsible critics.
Our assignment is to establish order in Georgia, to make Georgia a strong, developed successful state, which will be the best example of peaceful co-existence, development and the best future to other countries and other nations.
I have ordered, simultaneously with replacement of the Abkhazian government, to send foodstuffs and also first aid necessities to the Kodori Gorge immediately.
We should deliver all of it and to give it out to each inhabitant of the Kodori Gorge, who during the last years and the last days has experiences so many misfortunes.
I have ordered to issue monetary aid to each family from the government of Georgia, residing in Kodori in addition to the stuffs, so that all of them would urgently settle the barest problems.
I have ordered to begin restoration of the large road to Kodori and for this purpose the government of Georgia have already found several millions GEL, so that during the most period of time a reliable road to Kodori would function.
On this road transport means, an autobus, would function, by means of which the population will transfer without any hindrances and admission to the rest of Georgia will be possible.
Also, I have ordered to begin modernization of the Kodori airport in the nearest days and this process will take several months as a maximum.
We have also ordered to purchase additionally several airplanes from our neighbor countries, so that flights to Kodori would be regular, without any technical hindrances, and with proper aircrafts.
We have also ordered and we have mot managed to do it before to begin repairs of all the schools, to establish culture objects in al the villages and to restore and modernize ambulatories, existing there.
We should bring doctors to Kodori, who will be accommodated there and will permanently serve to the population of Kodori.
These are those extremely important resolutions, which have been made by the government of Georgia today and which will be realized in the nearest future.
I would like to say it to everybody, that these resolutions are not directed to confrontation or to making of any problems to any problems in the nearest future.
These are the resolutions, which are the basis of putting the situation in order, understanding and the correct way out of the established situation, searching of the way of development and also following this way.
At the same time, we warn everybody, especially, the Russian peacemaking contingent, station in Abkhazia, to refrain from such statements, which we have heard from the representatives of this contingent for the last days and I especially advise them to refrain from any provocative actions.
The world is not sleeping and sees everything well and I think that every party should undertake the responsibility and to cooperate to avoid any problem.
We know, what we do and we are going to continue resolute actions for rehabilitation of the region and we also intend to pass to the next stage after the operation: to reveal, to disarm and to prosecute the criminals, who have escaped to the forest.
We shall bring this operation to the logical end.
I am sure and I hope that, as before, the political steps and actions of the Georgian government will be apprehended with the same understanding, responsibility and support.
Thank you.
Communications Office
of the President of Georgia