Pankisi People's Assembly called on Georgian authorities to jointly overcome crisis

The People’s Assembly of the Pankisi Gorge has condemned the April 21 unrests and expressed its readiness to do everything to prevent further clashes. Members of the assembly have called on the Georgian authorities to jointly overcome the difficulties.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 21, several hundred residents of the Pankisi Gorge gathered for a spontaneous action in the village of Birkiani of the Akhmeta District to prevent the construction of the "Khadori-3" hydropower plant (HPP). During the rally, clashes broke out of protesters with law enforcers, as a result of which 55 persons suffered, including 38 policemen. On April 22, protesters threatened the authorities to scale up protest if activists were arrested. The construction of the HPP will improve the road and energy infrastructure in Pankisi, but for local residents, water and pastures, which they are afraid to lose, are more important, Georgian economists believe.

"We demand a fair and democratic policy in the gorge, and we understand that such a policy cannot be implemented without the government's cooperation and democratic dialogue," the statement of the Pankisi People's Assembly states, as quoted by the "Rustavi-2" TV Company.

The assembly has condemned the April 21 use of violence by both law enforcers and local population.

"Our country is in a complex geopolitical reality, and its domestic political and social processes often draw attention of enemies of the country's interests," the statement concludes.