Texel and Georgia

Sandra and Misha and Eduard are visiting Texel Island on 4 may 2005. It is the first time a Georgian President visits Texel. Sandra is already pregnant from her second son Nicholoz, who is born on 21 december 2005. Foto Marcel Brandsma - Toidverdroif

Dear Sandra,

My house in beautiful Langedijk is 10 km from Alkmaar and 40 km from Den Helder. From Den Helder it is 30 minutes by ferry to the lamazi island of Texel. I found out in Mscheta in january 1998 that there was a Georgian war tragedia at Texel during World War II.

In Mscheta there were toasts during the supra about Texel people who helped the Georgian soldiers to survive. This story I did not know. Also I did not know that the biggest battle at the end of World War II was at Texel.

Nidas Johannes Petras Maria Brandsma

So after I visited Tbilisi in 1998 in january two times I went back to Holland to my already 8 months pregant girlfriend Aida Kleivaite from Kleipeda, Lithuania. She gave me a lovely son and so I became father of Nidas, born on 19 th february 1998 in my house.

I returned enthousiastic back from Tbilisi and decided to invite Nugzar Meladze in my house. I showed him all my renewable energy contacts in Holland. He invited his sister from Germany and his friend Zurab Zurabishvili, opera singer from Austria. It was for my friend Aida a very bussy time, she was not so happy with all these Georgian guests in our house.

But we went together to Texel also and visited the Georgian cemetery - Russenkerkhof - on the Hoge Berg close to Den Burg, the capital of Texel. It was more me the first time then and after have visited Texel beveri many times with all my Georgian guests.

Kaha Imnadze

The first girl I met in Moscow in november 1992 when I visited a conference about youth exchange between East and West Europe was Aida Kleivaite. She was sitting at the bar of the cruise ship Rossia and she showed me all Moscow in the weekend before the conference started. Now she is the mother of my son Nidas.

The first Georgian man I met was Kaha Imnadze. He also was on the Rossia cruise ship and he told me a lot about your country Sakartvelo. This was in nov 1992 and in 1993 Kaha called me and said that he was in Den Haag, following a course on diplomatic political relations at Clingendael Political Institute. He visited my village Langedijk, took a boat trip with my ship Toidverdroif in the country of the thousand islands and gave me a black keramic bottle with Georgian brandy.

Kaha was the man who started to renew contacts with Texel and he brought a Georgian football team there. Later he called me from Brussels and said, Marcel, I am now representing Georgia in NATO, that is my job.

Aida and I visited Kaha in Brussels a few times and also met his collegue Teimuraz Gamtsemlidze, who came later to Alkmaar with a young Georgian dance group. Kaha gave me the nickname The Flying Dutchman.

Kahas last job for the government was pirveli spokesman for President Shevarnadze. I saw the opposition protests on Dutch tv in november 2003 and send a fax to Kaha. "Is everything OK there in Tbilisi ?"

He called me after a day and said:"No problem, Marcel, it is all sponsored by American (Soros) money. These demonstrators get paid dollars every day for to be here."

Two days later he lost his job. Misha took over with red roses and Nino Burdjanadze was sent to Maastricht OSCE meeting and Misha became President on 4 january 2004.

Shevardnadze and Texel

Because Shevardnadze was the last Minister of Foreign Affairs of the CCCP or USSR I thought it is a good thing that President Shevarnadze visited Texel.

Because of my good relations with Kaha Imnadze I asked him in 2003 to find out if Shevardnadze was interested to visit Texel. The answer was positive. Kaha said: "Shevardnadze wants to visit Texel, but according to the protocols, your Dutch government must invite him!"

With this information I decided to write a letter to Gerrit Zalm, Minister of Finance in Holland and also responsible for EU-Caucasus financial relations. From his spokesman I found out that he was in Tbilisi a few times.

In october 2003 Mr Zalm wrote me a letter back saying that the political situation in Tbilisi was critical and it was better to wait to invite Shevardnadze to come to Texel. He was right, in november 2003 Misha sent him away with roses.

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and Julius Vischjager

I already met Julius Vischjager, chief editor for the Daily Invisible, a weekly dutch small newspaper. He organised for me accreditation to visit Maastricht OSCE because he knew Jaap de Hoop Scheffer personally. Thanks for this, Julius.

I was happy to take fotos there, because Burdjanadze only took tv and radio journalists, no fotographers.

Julius can always ask the final question to the Dutch Prime Minister in his weekly press conference. He already has this right for many decades. So when Shevardnadze had to resign for President, Julius Vischjager asked our Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende: "Is Mister Eduard Shevarnadze still welcome to visit Texel after what happened during Rose Revolution in Tbilisi ?"

Our Prime Minister Balkenende answered:"Texel is a beautiful island and everybody is welcome there !" So Shevardnadze is still welcome there and I think he should visit Texel before he dies.

Wooden Shoes and Langedijk and Krtanisi Residence

So in september last year before I left to Holland via Antalya, I brought a letter to the Residency of Shevardnadze, asking him if he was still interested to visit Texel. But no answer.

So again on 4 th may 2010, exactly 60 years after Georgians start an attack on Texel (april 1945) I brought again a letter to Shevardnadze and this time it was translated in Russian by my friend Svetlana Kniaskova, who lives in Moscow and translates Dutch literature into Russian.

Read her translation Siegfried from Dutch literature writer Harry Mulish from Amsterdam. Siegfried is about fake son of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun.
I put this letter for Shevarnadze in a traditional dutch wooden shoe, a klomp we call it and delivered it in the morning of 4 may 2010 before I flew back to Amsterdam with Turkish Airlines.

And also I added a personal book from my own library about Texel tragedy, that I wanted to borrow to Shevardnadze to show photos from Texel tragedy. I think it is good if this book from Holland journalist is translated into Russian to tell the story from the Dutch side, because I discovered the Georgian version is a heroic version but it was a dilemma tragedy.

About this tragedy a Texel writer-musician wrote an opera. I visited this writer together with Tata Ivanidze from Vecheri Tbilisi newspaper and my friend Marina Todua from Iberia Times in november 2004.

So even now I hope Shevranadze visits Texel. I heared at his resedency he will visit Berlin in june 2010 because about his life was made a documentary. Berlin is only 600 km to fly to Texel, so lets hope Shevardnadze has the energy also to visit Texel.

Or he finds another suitable occasion, Sandra. What you think ? I was not happy at all with the words Misha spoke about the Texel Georgian Soldiers, words that I found on internet and that I have sent to you via your parents address in Zeeland.