Press release
The Mayor of Newport, Cllr. Noel Trigg, joint President of the Newport Kutaisi Twinning Association, is heading a fundraising project to provide aid to Kutaisi, Newport's twin city in Georgia. (Cheques payable to Action for Kutaisi and addressed to Action for Kutais Fund, Mayors Parlour Newport Civic Centre, NP20 4UR)
 

Action for Kutaisi has been set up to provide basic life saving aid for the refugees displaced by the brutal destruction of their homes in Gori. Thousands of people have fled the war zone and are encamped in makeshift sites in Kutaisi and Tbilisi. They are desperately short of food and basic amenities including water. A group of Fire fighters from Kutaisi have been training with South Wales Fire and Rescue in September and they took some time off to attend the Launch and Meet the Mayor (see story)
 
Catherine Philpott, Chair of Newport Kutaisi Association was caught up in the conflict whilst in Georgia.  She had passed through Gori a matter of hours before the first cluster bombs had fallen.
 
While she was in Kutaisi she took the opportunity to visit No. 3 Fire Station and meet some members of the fire brigade, one of whom will be part of the delegation visiting Newport in September for training with the South Wales Fire & Rescue Service
 
Having briefly visited Kutaisi she finally arrived in Batumi, the Black Sea resort south of the port of Poti to find initially a calm town with many tourists of all nationalities enjoying the beautiful weather and beach.
 
The bombing of Poti was the first indication that matters had escalated seriously. With immediate power cuts and wild rumours it was difficult to judge what was the best course of action.
 
She witnessed the rounding up of hundreds of young men as recruits for the Georgian army, who were ill trained having only had 30 days of military experience.
 
Flag bedecked coaches took them with families waving them off not knowing where they were going or when they would see them again.
 
The British Embassy’s advice to UK citizens was to remain there and hope that things would settle down.
 
The bombing of rail lines and the blocking of the main road at Gori effectively cut off any contact with the capital city, Tbilisi.
 
 It became apparent that Catherine had to make a decision to leave by whatever exit point. Travelling to the town of Sarp on the border with Turkey she made her way by bus to Trabzon, a large Turkish seaport. From there she took flights via Ankara to London

Internally displaced people from Gori

Some background information

The population of South Ossetia (70k) is half that of Newport and Abkhazia(180k) has a smaller population than Swansea. Both are bordered and separated from Russia by the Caucasus Mountains, the highest mountains in Europe.
 
This is not about a realistic autonomy for these two regions; it is about Russian imperialism. The Russians have never accepted Georgia’s right to independence and have undermined their confidence at every stage since the break up of the Soviet Union in the 1990s using economic sanctions and military action on the borders. It is useful to remember that Putin was deeply involved in the brutal oppression of Chechnya, a country next door to Georgia.

 

Click on map above to see extent of Caucasus bordering Georgian territory

The recent actions are partly to do with this history but mainly about Russia’s fear that Georgia will become part of the NATO alliance. It may also be about Putin showing he is still in charge of Russia after he reluctantly gave up the presidency to Medvedev.
 
Whatever the motivation, the results are devastating for the people of Georgia. Russian President Medvedev has officially recognised the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia so we cannot see an early resolution of the conflict.
 
Tens of Thousands of people have fled the war zone and are encamped in makeshift sites in Kutaisi and Tbilisi. They are desperately short of food and basic amenities including water.

Action for Kutaisi has been set up to provide basic life saving aid for the refugees displaced by the brutal destruction of their homes in Gori.
 
The bombing of rail lines and the blocking of the main road at Gori effectively cut off any contact with the capital city, Tbilisi.
 
These are families divided. Members in Kutaisi or Tbilisi having no means of reunion.