Archive - 8/2009

The RF FSB Border-Guard Department in the Republic of South Ossetia informs that on 1 August temporary entanglement has been in installed (1 m high poles) at the road from the village of Kveshi (Georgia) and Artsev (South Ossetia), to control the movement of vehicles across the borderline. These poles are not border-marking installations. The Georgian side was duly informed about these arrangements with a clear emphasis on the fact that they were not meant for border-marking. The Russian border-guards did not enter the village of Kveshi. The Georgian MFA's statement on the alleged border demarcation by the Russian border-guards is groundless and the purpose of the border-guards' actions was misinterpreted.

“Seeking a rapid cessation of bloodshed and comprehensive settlement of the conflict between Georgian and Ossetians, being guided by the will to establish peace and stability in the region, confirming the adherence to the principles of the UN Charter and Helsinki Final Act, acting in the spirit of respect to human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as the rights of national minorities, taking into account the agreements….”, all know about the Agreement on the Principles of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict settlement signed on 24 June 1992 in Dagomys.
On 8 August 2008, despite all peace agreements and basic norms of international and humanitarian law, Georgian Armed Forces brought down all their military might using rocket artillery upon the peaceful population of South Ossetia.
The Georgian side by the time of the first massed blow over the night Tskhinval had unilaterally withdrawn from the Joint Control Commission aimed at maintaining peace in the Zone of Georgian-Ossetian Conflict. After the rocket artillery shelling (killing peaceful population of South Ossetia), Georgian Armed Forces units started a clean-up operation in Tskhinval and neighboring villages…

A full-fledge reconstruction of private housing destroyed during the Georgian aggression of August 2008 is ongoing in the capital city of South Ossetia. As reported by the State Unitary Enterprise of South Ossetia, the housing dismantling process started late in May at 140 sites.
“The construction works started at 58 sites with 19 subcontractors engaged. These figures are increasing. At some construction sites, 40 % of brickworks have been completed", reported SUE.

Last few days, the Georgian side had several times opened fire at Tskhinval and its suburbs (Respublic of South Ossetia).
In the period of 29 July – 1 August 2009, the capital city of South Ossetia had been subjected to repeated mortar and grenade-launcher shelling. The fire was opened at observation posts of the South Ossetian Armed Forces, and this speaks for provocative character of these actions.

The Government of South Ossetia reminds the world that Georgia initiated a brutal aggression against our country, only a year ago, targeting civilian homes, schools, factories, and cultural assets. That tragic war began with asymmetrical terrorist attacks similar to the ones Georgia has launched on our territory in the past few days. Such behavior was abhorrent a year ago, and remains so now. Accordingly, South Ossetia welcomes today’s commitment of the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation to defend South Ossetian citizens against further Georgian treachery.

A meeting between the South Ossetian and Georgian delegations and the representatives of the EUMM is planned to take place today in the village of Ergneti. As reported by the head of the South Ossetian delegation Merab Chigoev, the meeting is organized upon the EUMM initiative. “We will be raising the issue on the intensified activities of the Georgian armed forces through deployment of new illegal checkpoints, their equipping with offensive weaponry on the territories adjacent to the state border of South Ossetia.

With the first anniversary of the August Georgian aggression ahead, one should not exclude provocations, said the RF Ambassador Extraordinary in South Ossetia Elbrus Kargiev, commenting on intensified activities of the Georgian armed forces at the borderlines of South Ossetia. “In the light of the upcoming anniversary of the August event, we should not exclude provocations organized by the Georgian regime”, said Kargiev.
According to Ambassador, the reasons for provocations are in the internal political instability in Georgia – Tbilisi authorities brought the situation to a deadlock and now they are trying to reverse it trying to consolidate people to face false new threats from outside”.

The RSO President Eduard Kokoity received a delegation of the RF Federal Security Border-guard Service headed by Vladimir Pronichev, the Deputy Director of the Border-Guards Service, the RF FSB.
Eduard Kokoity expressed his gratitude to the visitors for assistance and rapid reaction following the agreements signed between the RF and RSO. "Border-guards of the RF demonstrated their professionalism. The population very positively perceives them. It contributes to stabilization of the situation and return of people to their previous places of residence”, stressed the President.