The departure of Aslan Abashidze from the Georgia autonomous region of Ajaria on Wednesday, may mean relations between Armenia and its neighbor can proceed more smoothly than recent conflict in Ajara has allowed.

Abashidze fled for Moscow, under threats from Georgian president Mikhail Saakasvili that military force would be used if necessary to achieve a settlement between Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, and the troubled region

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Leaders of the Armenian opposition and the pro-government majority in parliament met behind the closed doors late Thursday to try to defuse the political crisis sparked by the month-long opposition campaign against President Robert Kocharian.

The talks initiated by parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian began late in the afternoon and lasted for about five hours. They were attended by 13 senior representatives of all parliament factions, including five members of the opposition Artarutyun bloc and the National Unity Party (AMK).

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President Robert Kocharian on Thursday took issue with and downplayed the criticism of his government’s response to recent opposition rallies made by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) last week.

Kocharian said that while he finds “normal” the recommendations contained in the PACE resolution, he disagrees with its assessment of the Armenian authorities’ response to the campaign of street protests launched by the opposition one month ago.

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