Nino Burjanadze, chair of Georgian Parliament, appealed to the United Nations, the European Union, the European Parliament, and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on behalf of the Georgian government asking not to leave the Chechen area of the Georgian-Russian border without international monitoring. According to Burjanadze, some mechanism should be established as soon as possible allowing foreign observers to participate in controlling the Georgian-Russian border together with the Georgian and Russian sides.

Burjanadze’s request is spurred by threatening statements made by Russian officials recently. According to the Chair of Georgian Parliament, the “concerns” of the Russian side with regards to the “presence” of Chechen terrorists in the Pankisi Gorge is just an excuse for provocation.

Burjanadze demands, “Russia must stop searching for problems in Georgia which simply do not exist.” She also states that “Russian government does not have enough creativity to invent new concerns regarding Georgia and always returns to Pankisi issue, which has already been absolutely settled.”

Burjanadze asks: If the Russian government still thinks that there are Chechen and international terrorists in the Pankisi Gorge, then why is it against monitoring by the OSCE mission at the Chechen area of the Georgian-Russian border? Doesn’t this look like Russia is preparing to blame Georgia for the non-existence of foreign observers in this territory?

“I am deeply convinced that the Russian government is blocking the OSCE monitoring mission exactly because of this desire,” she declares.

Nino Burjanadze also states that Russia’s unwillingness to abandon the Pankisi issue is a part of one common context, and this context, according to her, is such: On the one hand, the Russian government makes statements about recognizing the territorial integrity of Georgia, and on the other hand, it openly helps and supports the extremist regimes in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

She believes that “The actions of Russia in Abkhazia during the pre-election period might be assessed as rude interference by the Russian government in Georgian domestic affairs.” Her reason for this statement is the fact that: “The Vice Speaker of Russian Duma and the Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia have been in Abkhazia and therefore on the territory of Georgia without visas.”

The Chair of Georgian Parliament questions what reaction Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would have had if the Vice Speaker of Georgian Parliament and the Deputy Prosecutor General of Georgia visited Chechnya without proper authorization and documents.

Nino Burjanadze remembers the arrest of Nana Lezhava and Levan Tetvadze, journalists for Broadcasting Company Rustavi 2, on Russian territory during the Beslan tragedy when they appeared to have sufficient documents.

“The same measures should be carried out for Sergey Baburin and Vladimir Kolesnikov, but Russia takes advantage of the fact that Abkhazia is no longer in Georgian jurisdiction, doing everything it wants there,” Burjanadze states.

Burjanadze is also very “interested” by statements from Russian officials that the existence of Abkhazia as part of the common Georgian state may be discussed only if Russian is recognized there as one of the official languages.

In this case, Burjanadze regrets the naivety of Abkhazians more than the bad manners of Russia.

She says, “I am surprised to see that our historical brothers the Abkhazians have learned their lesson. The Russians, ignoring the choice of the Abkhazians, elected a president for them, forbidding the Abkhazians to elect a president themselves.”

At a briefing on January 18, Burjanadze also spoke about Sergey Ivanov, the Russian Minister of Defense, who envisions preventive strikes against Georgia. He is quite dissatisfied that Georgia is going to use his soldiers, trained by American instructors, in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“We are worried about the presence of Russian military forces on Georgian territory and we demand fulfillment of the decision from the Istanbul summit concerning the withdrawal of Russian military bases from the territory of Georgia,” Burjanadze states. She advises Ivanov to look at the calendar: “It is now 2005 and not 1968, when Russia could attack Czechoslovakia and terrorize the European state.”

Burjanadze calls on Russia to recognize the territorial integrity of Georgia not only in word, but in action as well, and to stop using dual standards.

She adds, “Otherwise Russia will never overcome the Chechen problem and become a truly democratic state.”