Chapter 199 Meeting with the Opposition

Shevardnadze finally agreed to the suggestion of the old subordinates, and met with the opposition to listen to their demands and propositions. But Shevardnadze didn't want to make it public. After all, the political propositions of these organizations are too radical. For Shevardnadze, if he can persuade these Georgian opposition to give up the current threat to the government, it will naturally be a perfect result, but if it fails, Shevardnadze lost all his political life.

So Shevardnadze left for Abkhazia after two days in Tbilisi. When Shevardnadze came to Abkhazia, the situation here had deteriorated to an unimaginable level. Wherever Shevardnadze's convoy passed, what greeted him was not a warm welcome parade, It was the angry protest crowd, both Georgians and ethnic minorities in Abkhazia, who showed an unwelcome attitude towards Shevardnadze's arrival. Georgians considered Shevardnadze a traitor to the Georgians, a lackey who split Georgia on behalf of the Soviet Union. The local Abkhaz people believed that Shevardnadze would take a partial approach to the Georgians in Tbilisi and support their demands for the legitimate interests of the Abkhaz people.

Shevardnadze did not expect such a result at all, but everyone has arrived in Abkhazia, and they cannot leave immediately without saying a word. So Shevardnadze asked the staff to send invitations to people from all walks of life in Abkhazia, inviting local celebrities to come to discuss solutions to the problem, and at the same time secretly contact the local opposition leaders and have a private meeting with them talk.

Shevardnadze originally planned to visit many companies and research institutions in Abkhazia, but the poor security situation forced Shevardnadze to abandon this plan. Now Abkhazia is like a petrol can with the lid off, and just the slightest spark is enough to cause an explosion. Shevardnadze realized now that he still underestimated the seriousness of the problem here. He already regretted coming here hastily, and he felt that he was completely cheated by Gorbachev this time.

Shevardnadze had a discussion with representatives from all walks of life in the Abkhaz City Hall. The representatives present had a lot to say about the problems facing Abkhazia. But Shevardnadze knew that these people could not really represent the sit-in demonstrators in the square. Those people came to attack the government only under the instigation of the opposition. If the opposition cannot be dealt with, the Abkhaz issue cannot be properly resolved.

So after finishing the morning meeting, Shevardnadze secretly left the place where he lived, and then quietly came to a local resort in Abkhazia, where the representatives of the opposition who accepted the invitation had already Been waiting here for a long time. Although in the minds of these people, the Soviet government is their enemy and the target of attack, they have to admit that Shevardnadze, who is already the Minister of Foreign Affairs and a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, is the most experienced figure in Georgia's politics and the only one. A man with experience in governing the country. Even if the opposition did succeed in overthrowing the Soviet government, Shevardnadze would definitely have a place in Georgia's future. Otherwise, just giving Georgia an independent status in the international community will make these opponents unable to let go. In the final analysis, it’s okay to let the opposition stand aside and criticize the government’s governance. If the task is really entrusted to them, they don’t even know what to do. But when there is no success, whoever can fool the common people can gain the upper hand.

At the beginning of this closed-door symposium, Shevardnadze was not in a hurry to speak. Instead, he listened calmly and patiently to the opinions and ideas of these opposition figures.

"Mr. Shevardnadze, we believe that it is an indisputable fact that Abkhazia belongs to Georgia. Those Abkhazians who tried to split Georgia are treasonous acts. We demand that all Abkhazians,

The Armenians and the Russians have all driven out of Georgia's land, and Georgia is pure..." Someone said in a high-profile manner at the beginning of the meeting.

"The Soviet government must respect the choice of the Georgian people. Georgia is an independent country. We can choose to join the Soviet Union and have the right to withdraw from the Soviet Union. However, Abkhazia is Georgia's land. The Soviet Union has no right to interfere in anything in Abkhazia, because this It's all Georgia's internal affairs..." Another said.

The speeches that followed became more radical than the last. At first Shevardnadze thought that those who demanded independence were the most outrageous, but after listening to it, these people actually started to discuss the issue of ownership of rights after independence. Shevardnadze felt like he was talking to a group of lunatics in a mental hospital. The worst thing was that these opponents were not monolithic. Most of the time they were still arguing for their respective political views. If someone lowered the conditions for reconciliation, representatives of other organizations would immediately stand up and accuse him of betraying the Georgian people, and then the two factions would quarrel.

Shevardnadze had been listening here for twenty minutes and realized that he had come here for nothing. These people don't even have a unified political opinion. When Shevardnadze talked to this organization, that organization said that this organization cannot represent the Georgian people. The terms of the negotiation, the object of the negotiation, and the subject of the negotiation cannot be determined. These mobs have no idea what politics is, and Shevardnadze feels tired just listening to them talk.

Half an hour later, Shevardnadze couldn't stand it anymore. He interrupted everyone's speeches, and then said to them: "I have roughly understood your propositions, and I will also talk about the Soviet government's Advocate, that is to stop the current protests, stop inciting violent hatred among ethnic groups. Restoring the stable and united situation in Abkhazia. I hope that all of you here are really thinking about the future of Georgia, not for personal selfish desires To incite hatred and disrupt social order. I can tell you responsibly that if someone dares to mess up Georgia, the government will never agree. Any attempt to split Georgia and incite national hatred in Georgia will inevitably fail. At that time All the consequences will be borne by yourselves..."

After saying this, Shevardnadze left the venue. On the way back, Shevardnadze had already made up his mind to leave. He felt that there was no way to solve the Abkhaz issue except for the Stalinist approach. . Gorbachev let himself solve the problem through negotiation, that is, let himself dance on the egg with the shackles.