Noghaideli’s Noisy Visit in Guria Region

Shorena Ghlonti, Ozurgeti

Leaders of the National Council met their supporters and members in the Ozurgeti Drama Theatre on March 24. Before the meeting, the organizers did not allow the family members of journalist Davit Bolkvadze, who died during the Civil War, into the hall; they clarified that  the National Council was meeting only their activists and supporters. Davit Bolkvadze’s mother and sister blame Loti Kobalia for the murder of the journalist; the latter is a member of Noghaideli. The family members of the dead journalist managed to converse with Noghaideli after the meeting.

“They did not let us into the theatre. I am a journalist of the Public Broadcasting. They almost broke my hand saying it was a closed meeting of the party. However, they are meeting people. I showed my ID to them; I even struggled to get into the hall but the man standing in the door was very strong. I wonder why they prevented me from doing my professional duty”, asked Tamar Bolkvadze, sister of Davit Bolkvadze.

“Noghaideli has 6 murderers in his party. One of them, Kobalia killed my son, a promising young man Davit Bolkvadze in the stadium before people. He passed a verdict on him – he said he was a spy from the Khunta TV-Station and he had nothing to do in Western Georgia. In Guria region, western Georgia, Dato had very respectful relatives from his father’s side. Noghaideli needs similar people to come into the government. Thus, he is ready to sign all kinds of nasty documents. I wonder what his supporters are thinking. How can you be respected if you have a murderer in the party?!” said the mother of the journalist Liana Bolkvadze.

“I am ashamed that I am a member of the Ozurgeti municipality board from minority. Since 2006, it has been the board of cowards. Because of all these, we have such an impudent government. Nothing has been done for the last 4 years expect keeping their chairs; guaranteed their future and employed their relatives; they even earned large sums,” told Lela Natsvaladze, head of Ozurgeti district organization of the Movement for the Just Georgia the activists in the theatre.

Movement for the Just Georgia is interested in the 2 million GEL allocated for the Village Development Program. “None of the officials can persuade me that the priority of the village with no roads, unfinished gasification, socially impoverished people is to have apublic toilet which costs 5 000 GEL; they cannot persuade me that in the village where every family has a well, people requested to install expensive bore-well which costs 7 000 GEL”,  said Natsvaladze.

Member of the National Council Zviad Dzidziguri said that unless we change the government, we will have swamp syndrome. “Very bad process has been going inside the government for a long time already. The political, psychological and human situation is very urgent in the country.”

“Twenty years ago, when we all were members of the national movement, we had one common goal and dream – the independence of Georgia. This dream came true but we did not dream of such Georgia,” former prime-minister Zurab Noghaideli started his speech with it.

“Georgia is confused and disintegrated because of the stupid and coward activities of Saakashvili for one year and half. Twenty years ago, every family lived well; but nowadays most families are poor. Today, a young man told me in Chokhatauri that we had more democracy during the communist regime than now. I was shocked. We are so far from our dreams because of the coward, unreasonable and stupid activities of Saakashvili. We gathered here to start new national movement in Georgia. We all saw the results of the war which was unleashed because of a coward commander-in-chief. Thus, we and our generation shall return Abkhazia and South Ossetia; but we all are aware that we cannot negotiate with Sokhumi and Tskhinvali if we continue to scold Russia. Thus we will restore relation with Russia for two main goals – to reintegrate Georgia and to return to the Russian market. We will definitely do it when we are in the authority,” said Noghaideli in his passionate speech. Malkhaz Tsikoria from Ozurgeti wanted to ask him a question about his frequent visits to Putin.

Noghaideli said he would answer his question after the meeting. Since Tiskoria did not stop asking the question, Noghaideli requested him to leave the hall and called him a provocateur.

Tsikoria had to leave the hall together with his ten friends. However, news agencies spread different information about the fact. “Guards of the leader of the Movement for the Just Georgia Zurab Noghaideli did not allow people with opposite opinion to ask questions” “in Ozurgeti about 200 activists left a meeting with the National Council in protest”… “his activists opposed Noghaideli”… “Noghaideli’s Meeting with Activists Did not Finish without Incidents”.