Georgian Government is Reshuffled

Georgian television channel Rustavi-2 announced on Friday that Georgian state minister for conflict resolution Giorgi Khaindrava, has been fired, news that were confirmed by the state minister's press office, Russian news and information agency RIA Novosti reports.

Officials have stated that Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze, who is in charge of the Russian-Georgian diplomatic relations, would fill in for his office: "The prime minister will inform the state minister (Khaindrava) today that he has been dismissed for his post and Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze, who oversees Russian-Georgian relations in the Foreign Ministry and is currently in Moscow, will replace him".

As far as the conflict resolution minister was concerned. Khaindrava stated that his dismissal had come totally unexpected for him, yet he did acknowledge the fact that there have been some domestic issues going on, which he addressed with a number of though statements that may have played an important part in his removal from office. "Our state is on the verge of provocation and, above all, decisions need to be made that will be beneficial for the state", he asserted, while discussing his dismissal.

Some of these problems include the recent situation concerning the refugees in Adjaria, a Georgian province which initially benefited from an autonomous status but was then brought under the central authority of the government in Tbilisi. Khaindrava was in charge of all refugees as cochairman of the Joint Control Commission for the resolution of the conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia province.

Moreover, another issue was represented by the recent detention of a Russian diplomatic car near the Georgian-South Ossetian border on July 14th, near the town of Gori, 25 kilometers from Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia. The Russian diplomats, who were detained by Georgian police, were on their way from Tbilisi to Tskhinvali to check a few documents. The incident occurred again the next day, sparking in turn the anger of Yuri Popov, the Russian Ambassador and co-chairman of the JCC, who described the incident as a "gross two-day provocation designed to disrupt the peace process".