"The solution of the problem by force is the least possible scenario; neither Russia nor the United States will permit it. They have certain levers of influence for this," Nikonov said.
"Mediators' efforts can be a success, and these efforts are being made now," he added.
"Nevertheless, it is difficult to predict the developments," Nikonov continued. "What is obvious is Tbilisi's determination to fulfill its pre-election promises (President Saakashvili promised to restore the country's territorial integrity), as well as Abashidze's unwillingness (Abashidze is the leader of autonomous Adzharia) to meet him halfway under the pressure of the ultimatum".
"The Georgian president's attempt to establish control over Adzharia's territory is, in fact, an attempt to create a state. Present-day Georgia is a might-have-been state that does not even control its own territory. And it is too early to speak of any democracy there," Nikonov stressed.
"Democracy does not arise in developed forms at once," he recalled. "Georgia is one of those states in the post-Soviet space which has the worst ever prerequisites for the creation of a democratic state."
