Edward Shevardnadze: There are no unsolvable issues between Armenia
and Georgia
26.12.2009 14:20
Gita Elibekyan
`Radiolur’
Tbilisi
There are no unsolvable issues in the Armenian-Georgian relations, and
there have never been any, ex-President of Georgia Edward Shevardnadze
says.
Ex-President of Georgia and the last Foreign Minister of the Soviet
Union, Edward Shevardnadze, today lives in Krtsanisi – one of the
central districts of Tbilisi. Shevardnadze lives alone in his villa,
not counting the guards and homemakers. His office resembles a history
museum with a number of photos on the walls.
Six years after the Rose Revolution, Shevardnadze says the decision to
resign was the hardest one in his life. `I had no other way out,’ he
says. `Otherwise I had to shed blood, which was unacceptable. I think
that the decision to resign was the hardest but also the most correct
in my life. I prevented bloodshed.’
Six years have passed after Shevarnadze’s resignation, but nothing has
changed in Georgia, except for one thing, according to the
ex-President. `I can stress the fight against corruption. Much has not
changed in other fields. People are hungry and unemployed, the
pensions are low. Georgia is generally in a hard condition. I know
that Armenia is not in a good mood, either’
Edward Shevardnadze considers that the Armenian-Georgian relations
were particularly warm and brotherly under his presidency. This is
evidenced by the photos on the walls. `There are three of us on this
picture – Aliyev, Demirchyan and me. Demirchyan was a close friend of
mine. I was calling him Karen Serobich I’m confident that the Karabakh
issue might be solved, if Demirchyan was alive today.’
`I have good relations with Robert Kocharyan, as well. I have hosted
Kocharyan and Sahakashvili here. I have always had friendly relations
with all Armenian Presidents,’ Shevardnadze said.
`There have never been unsolvable questions between Armenia and
Georgia, and there are not any today,’ Shevardnadze said, extending
his best wishes to the Armenian people. `Let your country flourish,’
he said.