YEREVAN (Armenpress)–The press service of Georgia’s president Eduard Shevardnadze has made an official statement today–which says that the opinions–expressed in a May 27 article in the English language Georgian Times–published in Tbilisi–cannot be accepted as the official position of Georgian authorities–especially having in mind that this newspaper has also assumed a negative attitude toward Georgian authorities.
The story in question–entitled "Terrorist Past of Armenian Presidents," accused Armenia–its political organizations and its ex-and current presidents of supporting terrorist organizations.
It claimed that it has obtained secret information that Armenian terrorist organizations held a meeting in Switzerland in March of the current year and had collected millions of US dollars to advocate separatism and provide Armenian organizations in Javakhk (South-East Georgia–the place of compact Armenian settlemen’s) with arms to promote an ultimate claim of Javakhk as a part of Armenia.
The press office of Shevardnadze called on all countries’ government and non-government bodies not to accept information–spread by Georgian independent mass media–as the position of the official Tbilisi.
Earlier–Chief of Georgian Intelligence Department Avtandil Ioselliani denied saying to a Georgian Times corespondent that "there are many Armenian terrorist organizations–but no threat is coming from them."
Ioseliani also said that he did not have official information that someone is wishing to raise the issue of autonomy in Javakhk.