Mass meeting in Batumi in support of official Georgian authorities

Eduard Shevardnadze arrived in Batumi, the capital of the Adjarian Autonomous Republic, on Monday. Head of the autonomy Aslan Abashidze met him at the airport.

Thousands of people held a meeting at one of the capital's squares to support the official Georgian authorities. Shevardnadze spoke at the meeting, stressing Adjaria played a special part many times when Georgia's fate was being decided. According to him, Adjaria serves as an example for all Georgia being a region where the economic and cultural revival is going on. "This meeting shows no force will break us; we have been, we are and we will be united," said the President.

Aslan Abashidze holds the aim of the radical opposition, of the Saakashvili - National Movement bloc in particular, is to come into power. "I announce officially, as head of Adjaria, leader of the Revival Party and a plane citizen, we will put an end to the threat to democracy. We have no other way. We will maintain peace," he concluded.

It should be noted that relations between Shevardnadze and Abashidze are traditionally strained. Shevardnadze's visit to Batumi enraged the opposition: Mikhail Saakashvili promised not to let him back to Tbilisi. Either the Revival Union or the ruling "For New Georgia" bloc will be the first number in the parliament of new convocation, according to preliminary data.