July 26, 2001 - 23:50 AMT
ARMENIANS CLAIM REMOVAL OF THE SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETIA GOVERNOR
Head of akhlkalak administration Melik Raisyan, representing this region of Samtskhe-Javakhetia in the Georgian Parliament, has stated today that "if Samtskhe-Javakhetia governor Gigla Baramidze does not send in his resignation, mass protest action of the population will start in this region". As "Mediamax" agency informs, Raisyan told that Baramidze, in fact, had usurped the region control, and did not consider anybody's opinion and introduced in Tbilisy distorted information about the situation in the region. "Gigla Baramidze created a legend about his irreplaceability and recently one of his followers stated that if the governor resigned, Javakhk would separate from Georgia", said Melik Raisyan in his interview to Georgian Agency "Praim News". According to his words, it was still in June, that the leadership of the local department of "Union of citizens of Georgia" party required that Gigla Baramidze resigned, accusing him of conducting wrong cadre policy and worsening of social-economical situation in the region. The governor refuses all the accusations and states that he does not intend to resign.