|
Friday, October 26, 2007, #205 (1472)
“Oh, I was so glad when I saw the clips from Sokhumi, I was sobbing. Every year I had my school holidays there with my family, and I have great memories of the place. I trust Bakradze, and hope he will be the man who resolves the conflict between us.” “Well, it’s a step forward in conflict resolution, but I don’t think for a second that it will be so effective as to get us back Abkhazia. It’s time to think realistically.” “This gave a glimmer of hope that we return to Abkhazia. I’m very optimistic we will inevitably get back our lovely Sokhumi.” “The Georgian nation always used to be optimistic, and I hope now that this little move will be a good base for future successes in the conflict zone. Bakradze did a good job.” “I liked the fact that our minister and [de facto Abkhaz foreign minister Sergey] Shamba met each other. Maybe the discussion didn’t produce much, but we made a step nonetheless. I hope we’ll make more in the future, and get back to Abkhazia.” “Of course I’m encouraged; I hope that this won’t be the only visit in Sokhumi. I pray for our country, and especially for Sokhumi—it’s our pain.” “I agree with the release of the Abkhaz militiamen imprisoned in Georgia, but we don’t know if there were any undisclosed deals. I would also welcome the Abkhaz delegation visiting Tbilisi in the future to help soothe relations. Still, I don’t expect any groundbreaking results from these talks—the Russian factor remains unmitigated, and the UN is keeping on with its same limited role.” “This visit is to fool the Georgian people before the elections. But this government should still get replaced.” “I don’t think these will bring any real results. I’m waiting for a goodwill response from the Abkhaz. I don’t know how Georgians can be so optimistic.” |
Are you encouraged by State Minister for Conflict Resolution Davit Bakradze’s trip to Sokhumi, the de facto secessionist capital, for negotiations?