Khizri Aldamov against Georgia

The so-called Chechen envoy to Georgia, Khizri Aldamov, who claims that he is the representative of Ichketia – Chechnya, a Chechen Georgian citizen, has left Georgia on June 13 to meet Chechnya’s president Ramzan Kadirov. Many analysts have comment here in Georgia that Russian Special Forces stayed behind this step and indeed Khizri Aldamov’s recent confessions have confirmed this position. Aldamov was in good relations with the Shevardnadze administration and he was then appointed (unofficially) by then Chechnya President– Aslan Maskhadov as an envoy to Georgia. As an expert of Caucasus issues, Mamuka Areshidze suggests that Aldamov knows many details in the relations between rebel Chechens and the Georgian state. However, he is ready to mix real facts with invented allegations and his major intentions are to discredit Georgia in front of the Western world and thus somehow try to justify any possible punitive steps taken by Russia against Georgia.

Russia does its best to prove to the world that Georgia is supporting terrorists within the Russian Federation. So, Aldamov will be used possibly to further aggravate the situation between Georgia and Russia. Russia bears a grudge against Georgia because of its NATO aspirations.

The Russian media views Khizri Aldamov’s defection as a return to the homeland. However, Aldamov was born and grew up in Georgia and he is a very controversial person. Sometimes he claims that there are no Chechen militants on Georgian territory and that Georgia hosted refugees from Chechnia. Today he claims that there were Chechen militants on Georgian territory. In 1999, Chechen rebel President Aslan Maskhadov, apologized in front of Georgians because of the Chechen participation in the Russian-led separatist war of Abkhazia against Georgia. In addition, Aldamov claimed that he would not go to Chechnya until current president Kadirov is there. However, currently he has changed his mind. There are allegations that together with Chechen refugees, there were Chechen militants in Georgia among them, some of them wounded who were treated here. It is also unconfirmed information. However, currently and later, Georgia was left by most of the Chechen origin male population in particular leaving here children and women.

Analysts think that today Aldamov is playing the role favorable to Russian Special Forces and it is certainly directed against the Georgian position which is neutral towards the processes ongoing in Russia, but with certain sympathies towards Chechen rebels. This eventually contains some threats for Russia and a possible repetition of aggression against Georgia.