The last month of autumn saw two “Ukrainian” events. The first one was the appointment of Khatia Dekanoidze - a citizen of Georgia, a member of the United National Movement, former minister of education under Saakashvili – as the head of the new State Police of Ukraine (former “militsiya” – law-enforcement). The second: there emerged certain facts that Dekanoidze’s former chief, now Odessa governor, cooperates with the terrorist organization “Islamic State” (IS, ISIL, banned in Russia). Odessa residents confirmed to EADaily that Saakashvili deals with IS. Contacts with IS militants were recommended to Kiev also by other representatives of the Ukrainian politics, in particular, by Arsen Avakov’s aide Anton Heraschenko and the former leader of the ultra-nationalist UNA-UNSO party Dmitry Korchinsky.
Was it a coincidence that Ukraine was involved in reckless attempts with ISIL while government in that country was filled with the former members of Saakashvili’s administration? This and other issues in EADaily’s interview with Archil Chkoidze , a representative of the pro-Russian citizens of Georgia, the head of the King Erekle II Society.
Why did the Ukrainian authorities choose just Khatia Dekanoidze as the Police Head?
Poroshenko is no longer to decide who and where to appoint. Neither Saakashvili is. The Department of State and the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States are to decide who and where to appoint. I think America uses the staff of the United National Movement in Ukraine – the maximum tools they had in Georgia.
Within the last two-three years, U.S. had tried to revive the United National Movement. Later, it understood that it is nearly impossible in the present-day Georgia, as the people still remember “the good times” of Saakashvili’s presidency.
Khatia Dekanoidze is another representative of the current “Georgian” reserve of the U.S. authorities that needed a position. Why did they appoint her as the head of the Ukrainian police? She is a “façade” minister i.e. she agreed beforehand that she would not decide anything on her own on that post. She will be implementing Washington’s instructions. She is happy with such an option. In addition, no damaging information has been found on her yet.
What will the former Ukrainian “militsiya” - now State Police – turn into under such leadership?
Under Eduard Shevardnadze, corruption prospered in the Georgian police. Everyone knows it. Under Saakashvili the corruption was reduced significantly; the United National Movement told the truth in due time. The nationals fought corruption at the Interior Ministry effectively, but repressions increased significantly instead. Politicians, businessmen, representatives of NGOs, and even ordinary citizens were affected. Under Saakashvili the people were detained only for private talks against Georgia joining NATO and for restoration of good-neighbored relations with Russia. One could face arrest just for criticizing President Saakashvili’s policy.
The corruption fighting under Saakashvili had a seamy side too. Traffic cop bribe under Shevardnadze averaged 3-5 GEL (Georgian lari). Under Saakashvili an attempt to bride traffic police would cost a driver an official fine of up to 50 USD (about 200 GEL)– quite a high amount for Georgia. Bribing is not a good, indeed, but an ordinary driver would prefer paying 3-5 GEL rather than 200 GEL. The same situation was at the Justice Ministry of Georgia. Under Shevardnadze, to register a passport at the Justice Minister in a day would cost an ordinary citizen 50-100 GEL, while under Saakashvili that amount rose to 500 GEL. This was the official cost of an accelerated procedure of registering documents, but in fact it was the same bribe, but legalized and increased manifold.
Actually, the fight against corruption at the Interior Ministry and other law-enforcement agencies in Georgia under Saakashvili was nothing but “façade.” Such fight against corruption affected the Georgian people more than corruption did. I think, with Khatia Dekanoidze taking the post of the Police Head in Ukraine, the Ukrainian police will become fully politicized and repressive.
Dekanoidze was minister of education in the government of “nationals.” The government of “the revolution of dignity,” she was entrusted with managing the Ukrainian Police. What do you think of such coincidence of facts in the biography of Ms. Dekanoidze? Can it be that the top police official of Ukraine combines the post of the education minister in Ukraine?
There was such practice in Georgia. When Saakashvili came to power in Georgia, a position of ‘mandaturi’ was introduced at the local schools. ‘Mandaturi’ is a school police, or more precisely, an investigating officer and riot policeman in one person. The responsibilities of ‘mandaturi’ were to survey the sentiments among school teachers, pupils and their parents, and if necessary, arrest the disaffected ones. I think that Saakashvili, Dekanoidze, and Eka Zkuladze will try to introduce the Georgian repressive experience at Ukraine’s schools to have full control over the education in Ukraine, the political views of Ukrainian teachers, schoolchildren and their parents. The major task was to keep teacher under permanent control so that they managed the children and their parents the way the Government wanted. In Georgia under Saakashvili, the ‘mandaturi’ forced teachers, pupils and their parents to attend meetings and assemblies and chant pro-governmental slogans and calls. The same will be in Ukraine: teachers, pupils and parents will be speaking and doing everything the West and NATO want.
The regime of Ukraine “Revolution of Dignity” is a pro-western police dictatorship. Such regime needs prisons. Under Saakashvili Georgia’s prisons were the pride of the authorities. Will they recruit Khatuna Kalmakhelidze – former prison minister in Georgia – to modernize the penitentiary system of Ukraine?
I don’t think so. When Kalmakhelidze was minister, tortures, beating, rape at prisons in Georgia became everyday things and everyone got to know about it. As a consequence, Kalmakhelidze as a state official was finally discredited. To appoint such person to the Government of Ukraine means to discredit the incumbent authorities, which is not in favor of the United States so far. The only former “national” from Georgia that may be recruited to the Ukrainian Cabinet of ministers is Vera Kobalia. All the former ministers-“nationals” were discredited, but Kobalia was disclosed the least of all. It is easier to conceal economic crimes rather than prison tortures. A person like Vera Kobalia can be appointed at any post and not just in Ukraine. I’d like to repeat that “nationals” are U.S. agents that can be sent to everywhere in the world.
Economic instability is often used to organize “color revolutions.” Georgia is known to experience a very painful economic crisis. It is clear that the crisis factor will be used to bring Georgia back to the former radical anti-Russian orbit.
Well, but even if Georgia’s economy experiences big problems, lari devaluates, people will not join the United National Movement again. After Georgian Dream came to power, Georgia’s economy has not experienced any drastic growth. Instead, the situation of freedom of speech has been improved significantly. Unlike the period when Saakashvili was in power, now people are free to express their opinion about everything, including the ruling party, Russia, the West etc. People no longer have to look about and are no longer afraid of being arrested and tortured for their frank talks in private. Business has begun “to breathe” as businessmen no longer feel the pressure they felt under Saakashvili – it is a very important factor in favor of the current authorities.
The pro-Russian sentiments are high in Georgia. People have made sure that the West helps only the Westward NGOs. The West invests only in those who fight the Georgian Orthodox Church, who opposes Georgia’s traditions and values. The West’s favorites in Georgia are the LGBT unions – they receive most assistance from U.S. Meantime, the main part of the Georgian workpeople remains pro-Russian. Rural communities, the agrarian sectors are traditionally pro-Russian in Georgia. Our agricultural products are exported to Russia. Georgians residing in Russia transfer a billion of dollars to Georgia every year.
The key question: Russian media say Saakashvili and his Georgian colleagues in power in Ukraine deal with ISIL. In particular, militants and oil are reportedly transported from ISIL via Odessa. What do you think of this information?
“Islamic State” or ISIL is made in the West. Saakashvili, as I have said above, is the conductor of U.S. influence. It turns out that even if Saakashvili refuses to help ISIL, he will be forced to do it. That is why he was given a government post in Ukraine. That was the political “order” of his patrons.
In the light of Saakashvili’s contacts with ISIL, there is another important circumstance – Saakashvili’s relations with Turkey. The ex-president of Georgia has always been extremely loyal to Turkey. Under his presidency, a list of the Turkish citizens was drafted. Later, Tbilisi granted Georgian passports to the persons on that list. It is noteworthy that the Georgians living in Russia did not enjoy such preferences from Saakashvili. As for the idea of dual citizens, it was harshly criticized during his tenure.
In addition, under his presidency, Tbilisi made a number of one-sided contracts with Ankara. For instance, a truck driving through Turkey was taxed in the amount of 800 EUR, while a Turkish truck driving through Georgia was not taxed at all. The same situation was with buses. Actually, the Georgian companies engaged in passenger transportation to Turkey were driven to bankruptcy and were later replaced with Turkish ones.
Under Saakashvili’s tenure, Turkey’s influence in Adjara was intentionally increased. There was a Turkish economic and political zone there. The entire business was sold to Turks in Adjara. A similar situation was in Tbilisi. Contracts for the key infrastructure facilities in the Georgian capital were made with Turks only. Even German and French companies knew beforehand that they would lose tenders for Georgian projects.
It is no secret that Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s family business is based on oil that ISIL pumps from the oil fields in Syria and Iraq. More and more data concerning ISIL’s ties with the Turkish power structures emerge. Saakashivili traditionally works for both U.S. and Turkey. Therefore, it is arguable that he deals with ISIL via U.S. and Turkey.
There is another fact testifying to that cooperation – the Salafis in Pankisi Gorge. Under Saakashivili, mosques were built in that region on the Arab and Turkish funds to promote the Jihadist ideology. In addition, there were official bases where the supporters of Jihadism that lived or flew in Pankisi were trained and sent to war in Syria. Those bases no longer exist in Pankisi. The Interior Ministry and security forces of Georgia carried out counter-terrorist operations and the strong points of the Pankisi Wahhabis were destroyed.
However, the Georgian supporters of Wahhabism are not just the Jihadists from Pankisi backed by the former authorities. There are Wahhabi communities in other regions of Georgia too. Simply, they are camouflaged. It is noteworthy that there are several currents of the Wahhabi propaganda and expansion in Georgia. We have Wahhabis from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Iraq. Formally, they are not connected. In fact, they are part of one project. Now the West is pressing the Georgian authorities to receive refugees from the Middle East. In fact, camouflaged ISIL militants may flow into the country along with refugees.