Comments by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the RSO

Information about escalation of violence in Ukraine is raising a lot of concerns about the fate of this country. The de-facto authorities, whose legitimacy is based on maidan, are fighting against people of south – east regions of Ukraine. National army, consisting of members of radical nationalistic organizations, is shooting down peaceful population regardless their age and gender. Assault detachments of the regime are carrying out large-scale deterrent actions around the country. Only during the massacre, organized by them in Odessa, on 2 May were killed more than 40 people.

Today morning Kiev regime sent against peaceful population of Ukrainian city of Slavyansk troops with armed vehicles, aviation, artillery and detachments of extremists of the Right sector. Use of armed forces against their own people means complete lack of understanding of the aspirations of the people of South-East of the country as well as lack of sense of reality with the people that declared themselves as Government of Ukraine.

On the situation in Ukraine

Situation in Ukraine, where in the result of a coup Kiev and many cities of Western Ukraine were taken over by armed radical extremists, is closely followed in South Ossetia. Activities of the extremists are getting more large scale and aggressive.

On 12 February State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civil Equality of Georgia Paata Zakareishvili, during his speech at the Washington Carnegie Centre underlined that ‘ties of South Ossetia and Abkhazia with Russia are not natural and historic’ and ‘the only resource of Russia in the region is barbed wire’.

Decision of the Government of Russian Federation on exclusion of South Ossetia from the list of hazardous countries for diplomats confirms again that situation in South Ossetia is stable and secure both for citizens of the Republic and for foreigners.

A big contribution to security and stability in the region is made by Russian military contingent that is fulfilling its mission on the bases of bilateral agreements.

The contingent is a guarantor of peace despite the fact that Georgia refuses to sign a legally binding agreement on non use of force against South Ossetia.

South Ossetia was bewildered by the Statement of the MFA of Georgia and further declarations made by US Ambassador in Georgia Richard Norland and EU Commissioner for enlargement and European neighborhood policy Stepan Fule on arrangements carried out by the South Ossetian side along the state border between South Ossetia with Georgia.

Georgia and its western sponsors do not leave their hopes to implement a project ‘involvement without recognition’ in South Ossetia and Abkhazia aimed to dissolve their independence. In his speech at a conference in Batumi on relations between Georgia and European Union, Representative from the European External Action Service, Mr. Gunnar Weigand suggested extension of the agreement, that is being signed, on association and free trade between Brussels and Tbilisi, on South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The suggestion of the EU Representative was fully supported by the Georgian side.

On the resolution adopted at the 67th plenary session of the UN General Assembly

On 13 June 2013 resolution of Georgia on refugees and temporary displaced people from Abkhazia and South Ossetia was adopted. Similar resolutions were adopted by the UN General Assembly for five years in a row, all of them are of nonbinding character.

On the statement of the MFA of Georgia

On 28 May 2013 MFA of Georgia expressed its strong feelings in respect of the so called self-willed shift of the border of South Ossetia by Russian military and erection of barbed wire in the vicinity of villages Ditsi and Dvani.

On 20 May, 2013 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani stated at the briefing: “One of the main aims of all the visits that are carried out by MFA and Government of Georgia is non-recognition and we never stopped our efforts in this direction”.

On the speech made at PACE spring session by Prime-Minister of Georgia

On 23 April 2013 Prime-Minister of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili made a speech at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasburg and announced the main directions and tasks in foreign policy of Georgia. He particularly said “it is known that 20 percent of the territory of Georgia was occupied by Russia in 2008”.

On possibilities provided to citizens of South Ossetia for studying at diplomatic institutions of higher education