Politics
Saakashvili’s erratic response to invasion hoax raises suspicions
Reading Time: 4 minutes Facing mounting criticism over a hoax television broadcast claiming a Russian invasion, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has climbed down from his initial defense of the report.
By Brian Whitmore
Facing mounting criticism over a hoax television broadcast claiming a Russian invasion, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has climbed down from his initial defense of the report.
Saakashvili was first defiant, saying on March 14 that the broadcast reflects a true threat emanating from Moscow. But a day later he called it "harmful to our society."
The report, aired on the staunchly pro-government Imedi channel on March 13, said Russian tanks had crossed into Georgia and were headed for Tbilisi. It also said Saakashvili had been killed and that some opposition leaders — including former parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze and former Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli — had betrayed their country and sided with Moscow.
The report caused widespread panic in Georgia, still jittery less than two years after Russian forces staged a real invasion of their country in August 2008. Cell-phone signals were overloaded as nervous residents attempted to reach family, and emergency services reported a rise in heart attacks.
WATCH: A YouTube post of the introduction to the Imedi report, in which the moderator urges viewers: "Let’s watch this edition of ‘Chronika’ about a worst-case scenario for the future, and then we’ll return to you with a discussion."
Sensing the public anger, most Georgian government officials have sharply criticized the Imedi program.
Speaking to local residents in Georgia’s Bolnisky region on March 14, Saakashvili was mild in his assessment. He said the program "should have been done differently." But he also appeared to defend it, saying its content, regardless of whether it was real or not, reflected Russia’s true intentions.
"But the main unpleasant thing in yesterday’s report — and I want everyone to realize it — was that it was very close to the real situation, close to what can really happen, or to what our enemies have in their minds and heads," Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili also condemned Burjanadze and Noghaideli, both of whom had visited Moscow recently and have called for better relations with Russia, for associating with people who "have the blood of Georgians on their hands."
But on March 15, Saakashvili backtracked. In a written statement posted on the president’s website, he said despite Moscow’s "aggressive plans against Georgia, the condition of our state institutions, the level of consolidation within our society, and the attitude of the international [community], all make the plans of these occupying forces impossible to realize."
In his statement, Saakashvili also called for higher journalistic standards to prevent such incidents in the future.
Political Cauldron
The report and Saakashvili’s erratic response to it have raised questions about how much the president, or members of his inner circle, knew about it in advance.
Those suspicions picked up steam when an audio recording of a telephone conversation allegedly between Imedi’s director Giorgi Avredladze and Eka Tsamalashvili, a producer at the station, began circulating on the Internet.
In the recording, whose authenticity could not be independently verified, Avredladze suggests Saakashvili himself ordered the broadcast and wanted it to look as much as possible like a real news program.
Georgian media quoted Avredladze as saying that the audio recording was fabricated by the Russian security services.
Privately run Imedi is widely believed to have close ties to Saakashvili’s government. Formerly an opposition television station, Imedi was raided by police during antigovernment protests in November 2007 and later sold off to private investors under murky circumstances. Its ownership structure remains opaque, but the station is run by Giorgi Avredladze, a close Saakashvili ally who once served as his chief of staff.
The report comes amid a tense political atmosphere in the volatile South Caucasus nation. In May, the country will hold local elections that are widely seen as a dress rehearsal for the 2013 presidential vote that will determine a successor to Saakashvili, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.
Opposition figures have accused the ruling elite of trying to create an atmosphere of fear so that Saakashvili can more easily engineer an electoral triumph for a handpicked successor.
"There is no question that this is another incident that raises the political temperature in Georgia," says Lawrence Sheets, director of the International Crisis Group’s Tbilisi office. "The opposition is accusing the government of being behind this fake broadcast that scared the daylights out of a lot of people. The government is saying it has nothing to do with it and that it should have been done in a different way, but then claims that the actual content [of the program] could actually happen in a worst case scenario."
The report was immediately condemned in all quarters of Georgia’s fractious opposition as well as by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Shock At Home And Abroad
The United States, European Union, and Georgia’s influential Orthodox Church have also joined in the chorus of criticism.
In a televised appearance, U.S. Ambassador John Bass called the report "irresponsible," adding that it does nothing "to help Georgia address real problems and threats to security it faces."
Peter Semneby, the EU’s special envoy to the South Caucasus, said the hoax did little to help stability in the region. Speaking to Reuters, he said the fake program "seems to have created further internal political division. It may even have been intended to do so."
Georgian Patriarch Ilia II called the broadcast an "abomination" and "an insult" to the Georgian people.
Patriarch Ilia is widely revered in Georgia and has criticized Saakashvili in the past. Sheets says the harshness of criticism, delivered in his March 14 sermon at Tbilisi’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, could resonate widely.
"I would call your attention to the very serious tone that was used by Georgia’s patriarch in condemning this broadcast," says Sheets.
Imedi head Averladze apologized for causing a "shock" with the broadcast, adding that the station’s management discussed running a warning caption on the screen throughout the program. He said they opted to simply air a warning at the beginning and end of the report. (The Georgian news announcer opening the program describes it simply as a "special, simulated" edition of Imedi’s information program "Chronika.")
But like Saakashvili, Averladze also defended the broadcast, saying that its goal was "to lay out the plan prepared in Moscow, with all of its painful details." He then appeared to blame viewers for not correctly understanding Imedi’s goals, saying "it was a miscalculation to think society would have perceived the broadcast adequately."
Despite Saakashvili’s initial defiance, the broadcast appears to have also opened up divisions within Georgia’s ruling clique. Unlike the president, parliamentary speaker David Bakradze — a close Saakashvili ally — was unequivocal in condemning Imedi.
"It is impermissible to produce [programs] with such a form and content that scare and shock people," said Bakradze. "It is impermissible to produce [programs] with such form and content that would scare off investors, who are needed to secure jobs for our citizens."
A new football club has earned a leading place in the UEFA Champions League groups and starred in the headlines of worldwide football news yesterday. The Football Club Sheriff Tiraspol claimed a win with the score 2-1 against Real Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. That made Sheriff Tiraspol the leader in Group D of the Champions League, including the football club in the groups of the most important European interclub competition for the first time ever.
International media outlets called it a miracle, a shock and a historic event, while strongly emphasizing the origin of the team and the existing political conflict between the two banks of the Dniester. “Football club from a pro-Russian separatist enclave in Moldova pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history,” claimed the news portals. “Sheriff crushed Real!” they said.
Moldovans made a big fuss out of it on social media, splitting into two groups: those who praised the team and the Republic of Moldova for making history and those who declared that the football club and their merits belong to Transnistria – a problematic breakaway region that claims to be a separate country.
Both groups are right and not right at the same time, as there is a bunch of ethical, political, social and practical matters that need to be considered.
Is it Moldova?
First of all, every Moldovan either from the right or left bank of Dniester (Transnistria) is free to identify himself with this achievement or not to do so, said Vitalie Spranceana, a sociologist, blogger, journalist and urban activist. According to him, boycotting the football club for being a separatist team is wrong.
At the same time, “it’s an illusion to think that territory matters when it comes to football clubs,” Spranceana claimed. “Big teams, the ones included in the Champions League, have long lost their connection both with the countries in which they operate, and with the cities in which they appeared and to which they linked their history. […] In the age of globalized commercial football, teams, including the so-called local ones, are nothing more than global traveling commercial circuses, incidentally linked to cities, but more closely linked to all sorts of dirty, semi-dirty and cleaner cash flows.”
What is more important in this case is the consistency, not so much of citizens, as of politicians from the government who have “no right to celebrate the success of separatism,” as they represent “the national interests, not the personal or collective pleasures of certain segments of the population,” believes the political expert Dionis Cenusa. The victory of FC Sheriff encourages Transnistrian separatism, which receives validation now, he also stated.
“I don’t know how it happens that the “proud Moldovans who chose democracy”, in their enthusiasm for Sheriff Tiraspol’s victory over Real Madrid, forget the need for total and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria!” declared the journalist Vitalie Ciobanu.
Nowadays, FC Sheriff Tiraspol has no other choice than to represent Moldova internationally. For many years, the team used the Moldovan Football Federation in order to be able to participate in championships, including international ones. That is because the region remains unrecognised by the international community. However, the club’s victory is presented as that of Transnistria within the region, without any reference to the Republic of Moldova, its separatist character being applied in this case especially.
Is it a victory?
In fact, FC Sheriff Tiraspol joining the Champions League is a huge image breakthrough for the Transnistrian region, as the journalist Madalin Necsutu claimed. It is the success of the Tiraspol Club oligarchic patrons. From the practical point of view, FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a sports entity that serves its own interests and the interests of its owners, being dependent on the money invested by Tiraspol (but not only) oligarchs.
Here comes the real dilemma: the Transnistrian team, which is generously funded by money received from corruption schemes and money laundering, is waging an unequal fight with the rest of the Moldovan football clubs, the journalist also declared. The Tiraspol team is about to raise 15.6 million euro for reaching the Champions League groups and the amounts increase depending on their future performance. According to Necsutu, these money will go directly on the account of the club, not to the Moldovan Football Federation, creating an even bigger gab between FC Sheriff and other football clubs from Moldova who have much more modest financial possibilities.
“I do not see anything useful for Moldovan football, not a single Moldovan player is part of FC Sheriff Tiraspol. I do not see anything beneficial for the Moldovan Football Federation or any national team.”
Is it only about football?
FC Sheriff Tiraspol, with a total estimated value of 12.8 million euros, is controlled by Victor Gusan and Ilya Kazmala, being part of Sheriff Holding – a company that controls the trade of wholesale, retail food, fuels and medicine by having monopolies on these markets in Transnistria. The holding carries out car trading activities, but also operates in the field of construction and real estate. Gusan’s people also hold all of the main leadership offices in the breakaway region, from Parliament to the Prime Minister’s seat or the Presidency.
The football club is supported by a holding alleged of smuggling, corruption, money laundering and organised crime. Moldovan media outlets published investigations about the signals regarding the Sheriff’s holding involvement in the vote mobilization and remuneration of citizens on the left bank of the Dniester who participated in the snap parliamentary elections this summer and who were eager to vote for the pro-Russian socialist-communist bloc.
Considering the above, there is a great probability that the Republic of Moldova will still be represented by a football club that is not identified as being Moldovan, being funded from obscure money, growing in power and promoting the Transnistrian conflict in the future as well.
Photo: unknown
Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavrilita, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu, pay an official visit to Brussels, between September 27-28, being invited by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles.
Today, Prime Minister had a meeting with Charles Michel, President of the European Council. The Moldovan PM thanked the senior European official for the support of the institution in strengthening democratic processes, reforming the judiciary and state institutions, economic recovery and job creation, as well as increasing citizens’ welfare. Natalia Gavrilita expressed her confidence that the current visit laid the foundations for boosting relations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, so that, in the next period, it would be possible to advance high-level dialogues on security, justice and energy. Officials also exchanged views on priorities for the Eastern Partnership Summit, to be held in December.
“The EU is open to continue to support the Republic of Moldova and the ambitious reform agenda it proposes. Moldova is an important and priority partner for us,” said Charles Michel.
Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita also met with Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy, expressing her gratitude for the support received through the OMNIBUS macro-financial assistance program. The two officials discussed the need to advance the recovery of money from bank fraud, to strengthen sustainable mechanisms for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Moldova, and to standardize the customs and taxes as one of the main conditions for deepening cooperation with the EU in this field.
Additionally, Prime Minister spoke about the importance of the Eastern Partnership and the Deep Free Trade Agreement, noting that the Government’s policies are aimed at developing an economic model aligned with the European economic model, focused on digitalization, energy efficiency and the green economy.
A common press release of the Moldovan Prime Minister with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell Fontelles, took place today, where the agenda of Moldova’s reforms and the main priorities to focus on in the coming months were presented: judiciary reform; fighting COVID-19 pandemic; promoting economic recovery and conditions for growth and job creation; strengthening state institutions and resilience of the country.
“I am here to relaunch the dialogue between my country and the European Union. Our partnership is strong, but I believe there is room for even deeper cooperation and stronger political, economic and sectoral ties. I am convinced that this partnership is the key to the prosperity of our country and I hope that we will continue to strengthen cooperation.”
The Moldovan delegation met Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice. Tomorrow, there are scheduled common meetings with Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Adina Valean, European Commissioner for Transport and Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy.
Prime Minister will also attend a public event, along with Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.
Photo: gov.md
Politics
Promo-LEX about Maia Sandu’s UN speech: The president must insist on appointing a rapporteur to monitor the situation of human rights in Transnistria
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, pays an official visit to New York, USA, between September 21-22. There, she participates in the work of the United Nations General Assembly. According to a press release of the President’s Office, the official will deliver a speech at the tribune of the United Nations.
In this context, the Promo-LEX Association suggested the president to request the appointment of a special rapporteur in order to monitor the situation of human rights in the Transnistrian region. According to Promo-LEX, the responsibility for human rights violations in the Transnistrian region arises as a result of the Russian Federation’s military, economic and political control over the Tiraspol regime.
“We consider it imperative to insist on the observance of the international commitments assumed by the Russian Federation regarding the withdrawal of the armed forces and ammunition from the territory of the country,” the representatives of Promo-LEX stated. They consider the speech before the UN an opportunity “to demand the observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Russian Federation with reference to this territory which is in its full control.”
“It is important to remember about the numerous cases of murder, torture, ill-treatment, forced enlistment in illegal military structures, the application of pseudo-justice in the Transnistrian region, all carried out under the tacit agreement of the Russian Federation. These findings stem from dozens of rulings and decisions issued by the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Russia is responsible for human rights violations in the region.”
The association representatives expressed their hope that the president of the country would give priority to issues related to the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region and would call on relevant international actors to contribute to guaranteeing fundamental human rights and freedoms throughout Moldova.
They asked Maia Sandu to insist on the observance of the obligation to evacuate the ammunition and the military units of the Russian Federation from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, to publicly support the need for the Russian Federation to implement the ECtHR rulings on human rights violations in the Transnistrian region, and to request the appointment of an UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova.
**
The Promo-LEX Association concluded that 14 out of 25 actions planned within the National Action Plan for the years 2018–2022 concerning respecting human rights in Transnistria were not carried out by the responsible authorities.
The association expressed its concern and mentioned that there are a large number of delays in the planned results. “There is a lack of communication and coordination between the designated institutions, which do not yet have a common vision of interaction for the implementation of the plan.”
Promo-LEX requested the Government of the Republic of Moldova to re-assess the reported activities and to take urgent measures, “which would exclude superficial implementation of future activities and increase the level of accountability of the authorities.”
Photo: peacekeeping.un.org
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