STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
arminfo
2008-08-27 12:25:00
ArmInfo. Russia has recognized the independence of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, mindful of its responsibility for ensuring the survival of
their fraternal peoples in the face of aggressive, chauvinistic policy
pursued by Tbilisi, says the statement by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Russian Federation for August 26 provided to ArmInfo.
Further in the statement: That policy is based on the slogan "Georgia
for Georgians" advanced in 1989 by Zviad Gamsakhurdia who tried to
implement it in 1992 by abolishing the autonomies in the Georgian
territory and ordering Georgian troops to take Sukhum and Tskhinval
with a view to enforcing unlawful practices. It was as early as then,
that South Ossetia was subjected to genocide. Ossetians fell victim
to slaughter and mass expulsion.
Due to self-sacrificing actions by the peoples rising in revolt
against the aggressor and efforts undertaken by Russia, it became
possible to stop the bloodshed, to negotiate a cease.fire and to
establish mechanisms to maintain peace and to address all aspects of
the settlement.
Peacekeeping forces in South Ossetia and Abkhazia were created,
respectively, in 1992 and 1994, along with the institutional
infrastructure to facilitate, with Russia’s mediation, confidence
building, social and economic rehabilitation and the solution of
issues related to political status. Those steps were supported by
the UN and the OSCE which got involved in the work of the relevant
mechanisms and sent their observers to the zones of conflict.
In spite of certain difficulties, peacekeeping and negotiating
mechanisms did work helping to bridge positions and to achieve
concrete agreements.
However, prospects for settlement which was already in sight were
ruined when, at the end of 2003, the political power in Georgia was
taken, by way of revolution, by Mikhail Saakashvili who immediately
started to threaten to use force to solve the South Ossetia and
Abkhazia problems.
In May 2004, special forces and troops of the Internal Ministry of
Georgia were deployed in the zone of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict,
and in August that year Georgian troops shelled Tskhinval and tried to
take it. With active mediation of Russia, the then Prime Minister of
Georgia Zurab Zhvania and the leader of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity
signed a cease.fire protocol and, in November 2004, a document on
ways to normalize relations in a step.by.step manner. After the
mysterious death, in February 2005, of Zurab Zhvania, who was a
sensible politician, Mikhail Saakashvili categorically rejected all
the previously achieved agreements.
That was also the case with regard to the Abkhazian settlement on
the basis of the Cease.Fire and Disengagement Agreement signed in
Moscow on May 14, 1994. In accordance with the Agreement, collective
peacekeeping forces were deployed in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhazian
conflict. In addition, the UN Observer Mission in Georgia and the Group
of Friends of the UN Secretary General on Georgia were established.
Having brought, in 2006, the Georgian military contingent into the
Upper Kodori in violation of all the UN agreements and decisions,
Mikhail Saakashvili disrupted the emerging progress in the settlement
process within these mechanisms, including the implementation of the
agreements of March 2003 between Vladimir Putin and Eduard Shevardnadze
on joint efforts to bring back refugees and establish the railway
communication between Sochi and Tbilisi.
Mikhail Saakashvili continued to overtly ignore Georgia’s commitments
and arrangements within the UN and OSCE and established puppet
administrative institutions for Abkhazia and South Ossetia so as to
drive the final nail into the coffin of the negotiating process.
All years of Mikhail Saakashivili’s rule were marked by his absolute
inability to negotiate, continuous provocations and staged incidents in
the conflict areas, attacks against Russian peacekeepers, disparaging
attitude towards democratically elected leaders of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia.
Since the outbreak of the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
in early 1990s, as a result of Tbilisi actions, Russia has been
doing its utmost to contribute to their settlement on the basis of
recognition of the territorial integrity of Georgia. Russia has taken
this position despite the fact that the proclamation by Georgia of
its independence violated the right of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to
self-determination. In accordance with the Law of the USSR "On the
procedure for addressing the issues related to the secession of a
Union’s Republic", autonomous entities that formed part of Union’s
Republics were entitled to resolve themselves the issues of their
stay within the Union and their state legal status in case of the
secession of the Republic. Georgia prevented Abkhazia and South
Ossetia from exercising that right.
Nevertheless, Russia consistently followed its policy, performed
its peacekeeping and mediating functions in good faith, sought
to contribute to attaining peace agreements, showed restraint and
patience in case of provocations. Our positions remained intact even
after the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo.
By the aggressive attack against South Ossetia on the night of 8 August
2008, which resulted in numerous human losses, including among the
peacekeepers and other Russian citizens, and by the preparation of a
similar action against Abkhazia, Mikhail Saakashivili has himself put
paid to the territorial integrity of Georgia. Using repeatedly brutal
military force against the peoples, whom, according to his words,
he would like to see within his State, Mikhail Saakashvili left them
no other choice but to ensure their security and the right to exist
through self-determination as independent States.
It is hardly possible that Mikhail Saakashvili did not realize the
consequences with which an attempt to resolve the Abkhaz and South
Ossetian conflicts by force was fraught. As early as in February
2006, he said in an interview: "I will never give an order to start
a military operation. I do not want people to die since blood in the
Caucasus means blood not even for decades but for centuries". Thus,
he knew what he was doing.
One should not forget about the role of those who have been conniving
all those years with the military regime of Mikhail Saakashvili, who
have been supplying offensive weapons to him in violation of OSCE and
EU rules, who have been discouraging him from assuming obligations not
to use force, who have been fostering a feeling of impunity in him,
inter alia, as regards his authoritarian actions aimed at stamping
out dissent in Georgia. We know that at some stage the external
patrons of Mikhail Saakashvili tried to prevent him from reckless
military adventures; however it is obvious that he completely went
out of control. We are concerned about the fact that some failed
to draw objective conclusions from the aggression. The vague hopes
for the implementation of the joint initiative of the Presidents of
Russia and France of August 12, 2008, soon vanished into thin air
when Tbilisi actually rejected this initiative and the advocates of
Mikhail Saakashvili did his bidding. What is more, the USA and some
European states promise Mikhail Saakashvili protection of NATO, call
for rearming the Tbilisi regime and even start to deliver new shipments
of weapons. This is an overt invitation to new reckless ventures.
Taking into account the appeals of South Ossetian and Abkhaz peoples,
of the Parliaments and Presidents of both Republics, the opinion of the
Russian people and both Chambers of the Federal Assembly the President
of the Russian Federation decided to recognize the independence of
South Ossetia and Abkhazia and to conclude treaties of friendship,
cooperation and mutual assistance with them.
Making this decision, Russia was guided by the provisions of the
Charter of the United Nations, the Helsinki Final Act and other
fundamental international instruments, including the 1970 Declaration
on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations among
States. It should be noted that in accordance with the Declaration,
every State has the duty to refrain from any forcible action which
deprives peoples of their right to self-determination and freedom and
independence, to adhere in their activities to the principle of equal
rights and self-determination of peoples, and to possess a government
representing the whole people belonging to the territory. There is
no doubt that Mikhail Saakashvili’s regime is far from meeting those
high standards set by the international community.
Russia has sincere good and friendly feelings towards the Georgian
people, and is confident that Georgia will eventually find worthy
leaders who would be able to show proper concern over their country
and develop mutually respectful, equal, and good-neighbourly relations
with all the peoples of the Caucasus. Russia will stand ready to
contribute to this in every way.