The Catholicos of all Georgians Ilia II met representatives of the Directorate of the Muslims of Georgia, with whom he stated that Islam had nothing in common with the activities of Daesh, which were committed in the name of Islam. Meanwhile, not only the spiritual leadership of Georgia, but also the secular authorities are concerned about activities by the terrorist organization. Georgia no less than Russia is worried about the possibility of penetration of terrorists into the country. Experts believe there are a few possible ways to get into Georgia, including the way through the Sarpi Checkpoint by buses (drivers take $100-200 for illegal transportation of one person) and the way through the Adjaria Mountains, as it is a region with a complicated landscape, and with the support of Turkish special services militants can reach Georgian territory.
Tomorrow a meeting of the National Security Council will take place in Georgia, at which the possible threat posed by international terrorism will be discussed. An expert of the Center for the Study of the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Ural-Volga Institute of Oriental Studies, Andrei Areshev, notes “a criminal terrorist enclave that existed on the territory of the Chechen Republic and other areas in the mid-90's, which ceased to exist only after the end of the second Chechen War.”
“There was a reason for its existence. There were various criminal, financial schemes, traffic of militants. Incidentally, it was also connected with the territory of Georgia, the Pankisi Gorge. Even then, during the regime of Shevardnadze. International terrorism has always existed. And it will always exist as long as it is in demand as a tool for the implementation of various geopolitical interests and geopolitical problems…However, Russia and Georgia, despite their well-known conflict, have some positive experience in cooperation in the fight against international terrorism in the context of the Sochi Olympics. In the period of preparations for the Sochi Olympics and after it, we know, serious steps were made, including not only on the part of various terrorist acts, but also in terms of spreading, for example, panic. That allegedly there would be an inevitable war after Sochi,” the expert says.
According to Areshev, “such information viruses are being spread, which are now spread on the territory of the Russian Federation in various regions through various means of communication technologies. We see this perfectly. This, incidentally, is no less an important component in the future fight against terrorism. Now, Russia and Georgia have some common interests. We see that that the problem of this country has been discussed not for the first time at the level of Georgia's National Security Council, that was not the first meeting. In Russia, too, a lot of attention is paid to this issue as well, including in terms of military confrontation. We see that the terrorist activity in the North Caucasus has declined in recent years. That, of course, does not exclude the likelihood of terrorist attacks that could be rare, perhaps, but high-profile attacks. Unfortunately, I think that we will still have to face them. We understand the world in which we live. However, the most important thing is the trend. The trend is important so we can stand together against these threats, and mutual trust is necessary for this first.”
