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Cooperation and training continues between US and regional forces

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Author:  By Irakli Aladashvili

Beginning on July 18 and ending on August 1, up to one thousand Georgian and U.S. military personnel underwent training that aimed to prepare them to safely neutralize rioters and to conduct peace operations. The training exercise has been given the name Agile Spirit and took place on the Vaziani polygon.

Agile Spirit in Vaziani, where the fourth infantry brigade of the Georgian armed forces is located, began July 18. About 450 Georgian soldiers, along with 350 marines of the U.S. navy corps participated in the training; they are part of the 11th rotational forces of the Black Sea and have been stationed in Romania in the city of Constanta for the past year.

According to official information, the aim of the training is to increase interaction between the two military units, help them exchange experience and skills, as well as strengthen their ability to conduct peace operations and disperse rioters.

The U.S. marines also have the task of preparing Georgia’s fourth infantry brigade before they are deployed to Afghanistan.

Two years ago, in September of 2009, the U.S. marines began training the third infantry brigade of the Georgian armed forces at the Krtsanisi military training center for participation in the ISAF operation in Afghanistan.

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Photo-reporters’ confessionary statements leave the case in clouds

Print version

Author:  By Zaza Jgharkava

The case of the detained photo-reporters has become a discussion issue not only within media circles but has also become a hot topic of discussion among on social networking sites. The one thing that is unanimous however, is that everyone would like the government to answer one single question: is the arrest and subsequent detainment of the photo-reporters the result of spy-mania? Or is it some kind of punishment or encroachment on media freedom?

The photo-reporters’ cases were not clarified after Abdaladze’s testimony.

After several days of self-imposed starvation and the continued denial of the accusations levied against him, Abdaladze made a statement admitting that the Russian intelligence service won him over in 2002 when he was detained and imprisoned in Tskhinvali. This was told in a 16-minute-long confessionary statement realeased on July 18 by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office.

However, politicians and those in society who are critical of the government’s case against the photo-reporters believe his statements are a result of the intense investigative pressure placed on Abdaladze.

Based on the responses received from an impromptu questionnaire posted on the Interpressnews agency’s website, 72.2% of the respondents do not believe that the people detained in the photographers’ case were spying for a foreign country. 16.5% of respondents believed the reporters were involved in espionage and 11.4% refrained from answering altogether. The questionnaire was based on Thursday’s results of which 2,992 people had responded.

The Minister of Internal Affairs is convinced that the investigation has more than enough facts to prove the prosecution’s case.

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