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QUI PRODST? - WHO BENEFITS?
Georgia Today, Georgia
Aug 7 2014
By Zaza Jgharkava
Sachkhere's Football Club "Chikhura" has been offering not only
football surprises but also political surprises recently. For the
second match already, "Chikhura" and its fans from the hometown of
former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili continue to surprise.
First, while playing against Turkey's "Bursaspor" the Sachkhere fans
raised flags with Nazi symbols. Then the number 10 of Sachkhere's team
demonstrated a non-sporting gesture to the Turkish fans. In the next
match against Baku's "Nefti", Sachkhere fans reminded Azerbaijanis of
the Georgian territories given during Bolshevik times which resulted
in a fistfight with the police after the game.
Disturbances are expected in the return match as well. According to
the information spread by GHN agency, tickets and t-shirts with the
inscription "July 26 - Culture Day of Borchalo Turks" were given to
Azerbaijanis living in Georgia. To put it briefly, the t-shirt says
that Borchalo belongs to Azerbaijan. It is truly hard to imagine
that regular Georgian fans will resist such provocation without
any reaction. Hopefully, Georgian law-enforcers will not allow such
stirring of emotions and hysteria on the tribunes and that everything
will go calmly and peacefully.
This scenario can clearly inflame a conflict between Georgia and
Azerbaijan, which fits neatly within the current situation in the
South Caucasus. Armenia and Azerbaijan have almost resumed military
actions in Nagorno Karabakh.
According to political scientist Kakha Gogolashvili, incidents during
football matches clearly show political motifs: "Let's start with
the fact that by awakening the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Russia and
Armenia will start putting political pressure on Georgia. There are
many ways to do that. Russia wants to cut the corridor to Armenia in
order to control the entire South Caucasus. In particular, it hopes
to move across the territory of Georgia to Armenia.
In the same vein, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that
Russia wants to grab more of the territory of Georgia and to drag
Georgia in this conflict as if Georgia allows it to make the corridor,
then Georgia will find itself at conflict with Azerbaijan. Of
course, Georgia will not allow Russia to bring its troops into the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict via Georgia's territory; but in any case,
we expect more aggression from Russia. "This is quite a dangerous
and risky situation that we found ourself in", Gogolashvili said to
Samokalako Presa.
Human rights defender Nika Mzhavanadze, who is close to the ruling
party, says that the United National Movement was involved in the
Baku incident. "Several days before Mikheil Saakashvili accused the
government of supporting the anti-Aliyev opposition and that active
supporters of Aliyev's position were coming to Georgia, holding
meetings and that Tbilisi had turned into an anti-Aliyev movement
center and that the government was responsible for what had happened
in Baku and, after Ukraine, this person was trying to create problems
to Georgia with Azerbaijan, which was deliberate action. Saakashvili
wants to come to power and does not care if our country distorts
relations with everyone. These statements prove that," Mzhavanadze
told newspaper Alia.
The parliamentary minority finds accusations of Saakashvili
with regards the impromptu actions of the Sachkhere football club
ridiculous. Minority MP Sergo Ratiani says that deteriorated relations
with the neighboring country are due to the former Prime Minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili. "Bidzina Ivanishvili and the current government
created many problems in relations with neighbors when Ivanishvili
made a statement regarding Karsi-Akhalkalaki, a statement about Socar;
why is Saakashvili responsible? Saakashvili who showed facts and
indicated that it is worth reflecting on it," the MP told Alia.
Parallel to this football adventure, the topic of Davit Gareji
monastery complex has been revived in the Georgian and Russian media.
Russian resources who favor inflaming misunderstandings between Tbilisi
and Baku are particularly active, especially in this situation even
when Georgia's neutrality would be vital for Baku. The topic of the
Davit Gareji monastery complex is not new.
Back in 1988, the National Movement, or leaders of the movement, were
actively using it. The so-called "elite intelligentsia" of that time
largely contributed to the inflaming of emotions and hysteria (a large
part of that intelligentsia is now gathered around Nino Burjandze):
"Davit Gareji belongs to Georgia and why should its part be on the
territory of Azerbaijan". Authors of these statements had no idea
then or now that Azerbaijan is almost at war with Armenia and the
noise with a partner country is an unfriendly gesture.
Whether this opinion is right or not, in Azerbaijan people think that
the Davit Gareji complex is part of Georgia's as well as Azerbaijan's
cultural heritage, as Asuretian fathers contributed to converting
not only Georgia but also Azerbaijan, more specifically Christian
Albanians living in Azerbaijan back then. Together with Turkish tribes,
Azerbaijanis consider Albanians as their ancestors.
Cultural speculations in the press and football speculations on the
grounds clearly indicate that people who speculate with these topics
are sending direct challenges to Georgia and Azerbaijan, i.e. are
trying to provoke political problems. The soundest and most natural
question to come up with in that situation was left by old Latins
for complicated situations: Qui prodst? - or who benefits?
7.08.2014
http://www.georgiatoday.ge/article_details.php?id=12567
Georgia Today, Georgia
Aug 7 2014
By Zaza Jgharkava
Sachkhere's Football Club "Chikhura" has been offering not only
football surprises but also political surprises recently. For the
second match already, "Chikhura" and its fans from the hometown of
former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili continue to surprise.
First, while playing against Turkey's "Bursaspor" the Sachkhere fans
raised flags with Nazi symbols. Then the number 10 of Sachkhere's team
demonstrated a non-sporting gesture to the Turkish fans. In the next
match against Baku's "Nefti", Sachkhere fans reminded Azerbaijanis of
the Georgian territories given during Bolshevik times which resulted
in a fistfight with the police after the game.
Disturbances are expected in the return match as well. According to
the information spread by GHN agency, tickets and t-shirts with the
inscription "July 26 - Culture Day of Borchalo Turks" were given to
Azerbaijanis living in Georgia. To put it briefly, the t-shirt says
that Borchalo belongs to Azerbaijan. It is truly hard to imagine
that regular Georgian fans will resist such provocation without
any reaction. Hopefully, Georgian law-enforcers will not allow such
stirring of emotions and hysteria on the tribunes and that everything
will go calmly and peacefully.
This scenario can clearly inflame a conflict between Georgia and
Azerbaijan, which fits neatly within the current situation in the
South Caucasus. Armenia and Azerbaijan have almost resumed military
actions in Nagorno Karabakh.
According to political scientist Kakha Gogolashvili, incidents during
football matches clearly show political motifs: "Let's start with
the fact that by awakening the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Russia and
Armenia will start putting political pressure on Georgia. There are
many ways to do that. Russia wants to cut the corridor to Armenia in
order to control the entire South Caucasus. In particular, it hopes
to move across the territory of Georgia to Armenia.
In the same vein, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that
Russia wants to grab more of the territory of Georgia and to drag
Georgia in this conflict as if Georgia allows it to make the corridor,
then Georgia will find itself at conflict with Azerbaijan. Of
course, Georgia will not allow Russia to bring its troops into the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict via Georgia's territory; but in any case,
we expect more aggression from Russia. "This is quite a dangerous
and risky situation that we found ourself in", Gogolashvili said to
Samokalako Presa.
Human rights defender Nika Mzhavanadze, who is close to the ruling
party, says that the United National Movement was involved in the
Baku incident. "Several days before Mikheil Saakashvili accused the
government of supporting the anti-Aliyev opposition and that active
supporters of Aliyev's position were coming to Georgia, holding
meetings and that Tbilisi had turned into an anti-Aliyev movement
center and that the government was responsible for what had happened
in Baku and, after Ukraine, this person was trying to create problems
to Georgia with Azerbaijan, which was deliberate action. Saakashvili
wants to come to power and does not care if our country distorts
relations with everyone. These statements prove that," Mzhavanadze
told newspaper Alia.
The parliamentary minority finds accusations of Saakashvili
with regards the impromptu actions of the Sachkhere football club
ridiculous. Minority MP Sergo Ratiani says that deteriorated relations
with the neighboring country are due to the former Prime Minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili. "Bidzina Ivanishvili and the current government
created many problems in relations with neighbors when Ivanishvili
made a statement regarding Karsi-Akhalkalaki, a statement about Socar;
why is Saakashvili responsible? Saakashvili who showed facts and
indicated that it is worth reflecting on it," the MP told Alia.
Parallel to this football adventure, the topic of Davit Gareji
monastery complex has been revived in the Georgian and Russian media.
Russian resources who favor inflaming misunderstandings between Tbilisi
and Baku are particularly active, especially in this situation even
when Georgia's neutrality would be vital for Baku. The topic of the
Davit Gareji monastery complex is not new.
Back in 1988, the National Movement, or leaders of the movement, were
actively using it. The so-called "elite intelligentsia" of that time
largely contributed to the inflaming of emotions and hysteria (a large
part of that intelligentsia is now gathered around Nino Burjandze):
"Davit Gareji belongs to Georgia and why should its part be on the
territory of Azerbaijan". Authors of these statements had no idea
then or now that Azerbaijan is almost at war with Armenia and the
noise with a partner country is an unfriendly gesture.
Whether this opinion is right or not, in Azerbaijan people think that
the Davit Gareji complex is part of Georgia's as well as Azerbaijan's
cultural heritage, as Asuretian fathers contributed to converting
not only Georgia but also Azerbaijan, more specifically Christian
Albanians living in Azerbaijan back then. Together with Turkish tribes,
Azerbaijanis consider Albanians as their ancestors.
Cultural speculations in the press and football speculations on the
grounds clearly indicate that people who speculate with these topics
are sending direct challenges to Georgia and Azerbaijan, i.e. are
trying to provoke political problems. The soundest and most natural
question to come up with in that situation was left by old Latins
for complicated situations: Qui prodst? - or who benefits?
7.08.2014
http://www.georgiatoday.ge/article_details.php?id=12567