SHEVARDNADZE DENIES ALLEGATIONS ON PLOT WITH ARMENIAN LOBBY
Tert.am
23.08.11
A former Georgia president, Edward Shevardnadze, has denied reports
that the 2003 coup in his country was staged in the aftermath of a
secret plot with the Armenian lobby.
Speaking to the Georgian news agency Asaval Dasaval he characterized
such allegations a nonsense.
According to Gruzia Online, the ex-Georgian leader agreed that the
resorts in his country are now full of Turks and Armenians who have
what he called a negative impact on Georgia.
“Our country has unfortunately remained without a leader today, with
satans becoming or having almost become the owners of churches,”
he said.
As for a possible collaboration between the country’s incumbent
president, Mikheil Saakashvili, and pro-Armenian circles, Shavardnadze
said he could not confirm whether Saakashvili is really backed by
the Armenian lobby.
“All I can say is that my cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan
was based on genuine friendship and good-neighborly relations, and
[Soviet Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders] Heydar Aliyev and Karen
Demirchyan were my friends,” he added.
The Georgian labor party members have been alleging for a long time
that Saakashvili follows the instructions of the Armenian lobby. The
media has numerously speculated the question on his having Armenian
roots.
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