Azernews.Az

The leader of Georgian workers` party, Shalva Natelashvili, has severely criticized the country`s government over allegedly forging close relations with Armenia.
At a news conference in Tbilisi, the opposition leader came out against the proposed project to build a road between the two countries, stretching from the Armenian capital, Yerevan, to the Georgian port of Batumi, through the country`s Ajaria region. He compared the road with the Rox tunnel in Georgia`s rebel region of South Ossetia. Building such a road could pave the way for another outbreak of separatism, Natelashvili said.
Further, he said that at a time when the country was fighting a war with Russia, Georgian media repeatedly cited facts proving that Russian warplanes bombing targets in Georgia were taking off from Armenian territory. However, Tbilisi has never responded to these allegations.
Natelashvili said the position taken by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian during the August war should also be condemned.
"At a time dead Georgian soldiers were lined up along the road near Tskhinvali [the capital of unrecognized South Ossetia], Serzh Sarkisian was raising toasts with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev," Natelashvili said.
It is indicative that, following a brief war between Russia and Georgia, Sarkisian visited Tbilisi and was awarded the Order of Honor by President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Georgia launched large-scale military operations on August 8 in South Ossetia to restore its territorial integrity. Moscow responded by sending troops to the pro- Russian region that struck Georgian armed forces using overwhelming force. Georgian forces initially gained control over Tskhinvali, but had to retreat a day later following a Russian attack. A ceasefire was, subsequently, reached on August 17 to end the brief war, with the mediation of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.