Protest rally held in support of detainees in Georgia-Azerbaijani border case
The detainees are the head of the department for border relations with neighbouring countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Iveri Melashvili and a senior inspector in the border protection department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Natalia Ilichova. Photo: Guela Bochikashvili/RFERL
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Civic activists and opposition politicians gathered in front of the Prosecutor’s Office in Tbilisi to protest the detention of two former members of a state commission that worked on demarcation of a border between Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Civic activist Giga Makarashvili claimed at the rally that the detention of Iveri Melashvili and Natalia Ilichova is politically motivated. Makarashvili promised their families that the civic activists will ‘fight till the end’ for their release.
Opposition politicians also claim that Melashvili and Ilichova are ‘innocent’, therefore, condemn ‘persecution’ against them.
The United National Movement (UNM) member Salome Samadashvili addressed the families of the detainees, saying that both Melashvili and Ilichova will be released after the parliamentary elections when Bidzina Ivanishvili’s 'regime' will 'come to an end'.
Speaking on the political motives behind their detention, Samadashvili said she believes the current Georgian government aims to make the detainees give testimonies against UNM's former state officials.
- The Prosecutor’s Office reported today that Melashvili hid the 1938 original map from the commission members and instead used a 1970-80 map in the process of demarcating the border, leading to the forfeit of about 3,500 hectares of lands against Georgia’s interests.
- Earlier on September 24 Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said that new map materials found by Georgia might bring about changes to the Georgian-Azerbaijani 2006-2007 agreement on border issues which was made under the UNM government.
Opposition European Georgia member Elene Khoshtaria also expressed her support to the detainees, calling them ‘the victims of the system’.
It is absolutely clear that this is yet another nasty political game. It does not matter who will win and who will lose… Today, these people have been assaulted by the state, their health is under the threat”, Khoshtaria stated.
Lelo for Georgia party member Pikria Chikhladze said David Gareji monastery complex and Georgia’s national interests are worth much more than a confrontation between Bidzina Ivanishvili or Mikheil Saakashvili, who are considered as major rivals in thes eelections.
Chikhladze also claims that ‘the sudden developments’ around the monastery complex might be the subject of ‘political speculations’.
Ruling Party position
The ruling Georgia Dream party members disagree. In his remarks about the detention of the two individuals in the Georgia-Azerbaijani border case, MP Davit Matikashvili said the Prosecutor’s Office has unveiled a ‘very serious crime’.
Pointing fingers at the former UNM government, Matikashvili said the opposition is now trying to ‘politicise the situation’. “No, this is a specific crime”, he claimed.
Fellow MP Mamuka Mdinaradze is also confident that all of the state agencies are carrying out their duties will it be an election period or not.
To tell it on a political language we are talking about selling the homeland”, Mdinaradze said, urging that ‘this crime’ should be thoroughly investigated.
Accusing the detainees of hiding the original map, Mdinaradze called UNM ‘a hostile force in the country, which makes such crimes happen’.
Yet another ruling party MP Irakli Berai said this is Georgia’s internal affair, which will not reflect on ‘strategic partnership’ between Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Calling on everyone not to politisice the issue, Beraia added as well that this process will not damage Georgia-Azerbaijani relations, ‘despite numerous attempts by various harmful actors’.
Two former members working on a state commission charged with demarcating Georgia’s border with Azerbaijan have been detained earlier today by the country’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office. The Prosecutor’s Office claims that the detainees hid an original map issued in 1937-38 and instead used other maps based on which the border sections between the two countries were agreed ‘against the interests of Georgia and history.’ The detainees are the head of the department for border relations with neighbouring countries of the Ministry of Foreigh Affairs of Georgia Iveri Melashvili and a senior inspector in the border protection department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Natalia Ilichova.
Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani said Georgia has come up with solid arguments to talk about the disputed area of David Gareji monastery complex in the framework of the Georgia-Azerbaijan joint border commission.
The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office has announced the launch of an investigation into the alleged unlawful giving of land to a foreign state. The Prosecutor’s Office says that the investigation has been launched according to information provided by the country’s Defence Ministry on August 17, 2020, referring to the activities of the Georgian, governmental commission working on the demarcation of the Georgian border with Azerbaijan.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani says that new map materials found by Georgia may bring changes to the Georgian-Azerbaijani 2006-2007 agreement on border issues. On several occasions, the unagreed border has caused tension around Georgia’s 6th century David Gareji monastery complex which is located at the conditional border between Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani stated earlier today that Azerbaijan ‘has been and will remain a strategic ally and a friend of Georgia’. "Neither the launching of the investigation… not the fair process of finding solutions, within which we will try to review the preliminary agreements related to the demarcation of the border, will damage our bilateral relations”, he said.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated that the ongoing investigation into the Azerbaijan-Georgia border case will never affect the strategic partnership and friendly relations between the two countries, urging politicians to refrain from politicising the issue.
The Executive Secretary of the Georgian Dream ruling party Irakli Kobakhidze says that the investigation must reveal whether the previous United National Movement was involved in the concession of 3,500 ha of land to Azerbaijan under the party’s leadership, including the territories of Georgia’s 6th century David Gareji monastery complex.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili says that Georgia-Azerbaijan made no border agreement when she served as Georgia's foreign minister between 2004 and 2005, under the United National Movement leadership.
The lawyers of two detainees who have been accused of withholding materials from a border agreement with Azerbaijan that ended ‘against the interests of the state’ will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against the refusal of a court to grant them bail.
The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office has released a surveillance video earlier today and said that one of the detainees in the high-profile Georgia-Azerbaijan border case Iveri Melashvili was forced to sign a border agreement in 2006 under the previous United National Movement government, which led to the forfeit of 3,500 hectares of lands against Georgia’s interests.
Two suspects in the Georgia-Azerbaijan ‘land forfeit’ case - Iveri Melasvhili and Natalia Ilichova - have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. The Georgian Democracy Initiative announced earlier today that the applicants complain for the violations of several articles of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Police are investigating an attack on a suspect in the Georgia-Azerbaijan ‘land forfeit’ case Iveri Melasvhili and the crew of opposition-minded Mtavari Arkhi TV which occurred earlier today in David Gareji.