While the president was busy playing soldier, all his regional peers, as well heads of state from China, Russia and Iran, were mustering in the capital of Tajikistan.
An enforcer for former president Mikheil Saakashvili has established a new political party, pitching it to the substantial population of angry Georgians.
Migrants from other Soviet republics help Russia meet its workforce needs as the ethnic-Russian population declines. But paperwork is keeping many away.