Archive - 2009

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.

The Government of South Ossetia cannot confirm any current plans to build any kind of military airbase in our country. However, we would welcome any facility that would protect our people from further Georgian military attacks.

The world need not worry about what is happening in South Ossetia. We are working to build a free and independent country, where our people can live in peace and not be constantly afraid of attack from our neighbors. Rather, the international community should be worried about the future intentions of Georgia, which has attacked our country several times in recent years, including brutally only one year ago.

Today, the first Vice-Premier of South Ossetia Khasan Pliev met with inhabitants of the village of Tsnelis, Znaur district. The meeting focused on security for inhabitants of the village. According to residents of Tsnelis, their main concerns were over the fact that their village has been previously subjected to shelling from the Georgian side, in which four people died. The villagers were afraid of repeated incidents of the kind.
“The situation is complicated. We are living in constant fear. Recently, armed Georgians were noticed in our village. After the withdrawal of peacekeeping forces from the village and moreover, after the yesterday’s explosions the situation is frightening”, said the villagers.

A mine blast occurred in the area of Georgia adjacent to the borders with South Ossetia. A car carrying a family of Leningor district resident Gocha Gigauri exploded in the mine blast. As reported by the press-service of the Leningor Administration, the blast took place right at the borderline between South Ossetia and Gerogia.
“Gigauri was crossing the border by-passing the official border checkpoints, and had most probably driven over a mine. As a result, Gocha Gigauri was killed and all other passengers were injured and brought to the hospital in Gudushauri, Georgia”, says the report.

On 23 July, the Supreme Sourt of South Ossetia began the hearings on criminal charges against South Ossetian citizen Timur Zakharievich Guchmazti, 1957, who has been indicted in accordance with Art. 275 of the RF Criminal Code “High Treason”, reported the RSO KGB press-service.

The RSO President Eudard Kokoity together with visiting Head of the RF Emercom Sergey Shoigu and President of North Ossetia-Alania Taimuraz Mamsurov saw the fire-fighting and rescue service buildings in Tskhinval and in Djava (Djava district).
Sergey Shoigu handed over to South Ossetia colleagues four fire-fighting vehicles and rescue equipment. While talking about the tasks of the RSO Emercom, Shoigu stressed that these are: to save human lives, and to ensure that all supplies needed for people a in place

Trips of the Russian Federation citizens, other CIS participating states and Abkhazia to South Osseti are possible through the border check-point in Nizhni Zaramag at the Russian-South Ossetian borderline. Citizens of third countries for entering the territory of South Ossetia from Russia should have a multiple entry visa of the RF to be able to return to their place of residence through Russian territory. The Republic of South Ossetia is a sovereign state, a recognized state seeking for establishing equal and friendly relations with all states and develop mutually beneficial cooperation.