TBILISI’S REACTION TO ARMENIAN CRISIS
The Georgian Times
March 3 2008
Georgia
Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze said on March
3 she hoped the current crisis in Armenia would be resolved in the
shortest possible period of time.
"It was very hard to watch developments [in Yerevan]. Only the Lord and
concrete steps undertaken in Georgia saved us from something similar
[last November]," Burjanadze said. "I hope the Armenian people and
the authorities overcome the crisis as soon as possible."
President Saakashvili spoke to his Armenian counterpart, Robert
Kocharian, on March 2 by telephone. "The Georgian leader expressed
his support for the Armenian people and the Armenian authorities,"
the Armenian president’s press office said.
Meanwhile, the Georgian opposition Republican Party issued a statement
condemning, what it called, violence against peaceful protesters. "The
Armenian authorities have chosen to suppress protests without
exhausting dialogue with part of the population, which questioned
the official results of the presidential election," it said.
Opposition Conservative Party said in a statement that it was
condemning use of force against peaceful protesters. "The Conservative
Party calls on the international community to prevent establishment of
authoritarian regimes in Georgia and Armenia and to foster development
of democracy," it said.
On March 2 a small group of civil society activists and ethnic
Armenians living in Georgia held a protest rally outside the Armenian
embassy in Tbilisi, condemning the break-up of a demonstration
in Yerevan.
Official Armenian reports say eight people were killed and
dozens injured as a result of clashes on March 1 between police
and demonstrators protesting against the February 19 presidential
election results.