"I don't see any problems in introducing the institute of the Georgian president's special representative in the Batumi port and in the Sarpi checkpoint (the Adzharian section of the Georgian-Turkish border. In the coming few days the lawyers will complete forming the new institution, after which the presidential representatives will begin fulfilling their duties," Abashidze said.
"President Saakashvili agreed, on the whole, with my proposal on appointing a representative of the autonomy in the Poti port (Western Georgia), and in the "Vale" customs house in Akhaltsikha (the Georgian-Turkish border). The appointment of such a representative will contribute to greater control in the customs house and will remove all the issues connected with the existence of various customs duties in the ports of Batumi and Poti," Abashidze pointed out.
He believes that a "wrong customs policy" was pursued for many years in respect to the Batumi port.
On March 21 Abashidze informed journalists of the need to appoint a representative of the head of the autonomy in the customs house in Akhaltsikha and the Poti port. As a condition to cancel the emergency situation regime in the autonomy Abashidze requested to give a licence to the Marine Bank of Adzharia for performing banking transactions. The Bank was deprived of such a licence when Tbilisi imposed economic sanctions on the autonomy.
Abashidze also came out for closing criminal cases, instituted by the Georgian prosecutor general's office with respect to high-ranking representatives of the autonomy's law-enforcement agencies, which issued an order not to let president Saakashvili to Adzharia on March 14. Precisely this arose an acute reply reaction of Tbilisi.
