Archive

On 10 February, a working meeting between the Chairman of GAZPROM Alexei Miller and RSO President Eduard Kokoity was held at the central office of GAZPROM. The sides had discussed the process of rehabilitation of the gas infrastructure of South Ossetia destroyed during the hostilities. A special attention has been paid to the new gas pipeline from North Ossetia to South Ossetia and management of natural gas supply to South Ossetia.

"The purpose of today"s visit was to make necessary arrangements for the upcoming Geneva consultations to be held on 17-18 February", said the EU envoy Pierre Morel. "At today"s meeting we touched upon a wide range of problems related to security and stability, incident preventing and confidence-building, as well as humanitarian issues, such as the problem of the missing, water, electricity and gas supply", said Ambassador Morel.

"The statement by the acting Foreign Minister of Georgia Grigol Vashadze that Georgia would not sign an agreement on non-use of force with Abkhazia and South Ossetia is the sign of continuing last years" policy of Georgia", said Murat Djioev, the RCO Foreign Minister. According to him, "even before the August event we have raised the issue at the level of international organization on the necessity to influence Georgia to sign an Memorandum on non-use of force.

A meeting of the RSO President"s for Post-conflict settlement Boris Chochiev and RSO Foreign Minister Murat Djioev with the delegation of OSCE, EU and UN was held in Tskhinval. The delegation includes OSCE Chairman-in-Office Special Representative Christopoulos, UN SG Special Representative in Georgia Verbeke, the EU Special Representative Morel and other representatives of the organizations.

The Georgian side had fired at the living area of Tskhinval. «At 5:10 a.m. two shots of RPG-7 (manufactured in 1978) were made from the village of Nikozi. The launched grenades self-exploded in the location of kindergarten in Djioev Ave. No casualties were reported," says the SO MoD Press-Service.

The Georgian side is rapidly getting prepared for a new military aggression, reports the press-service of the RSO. "On the night of 9 February, fortification works had been carried out in the village of Ditsi located in four km south-east of Tskhinval. Apart from positions" fortification, new units of armored equipment had been brought to the village.

A member to Russian delegation in Geneva talks, Deputy Administration Chairman of North Ossetia"s Government Murat Tkhostov commented on Georgia"s declaring force majeure in relation to international inspection of its armed. "This factor is worth paying attentions by both our community and international agencies. Georgia refused to Russia"s possible participation in inspections of sites belonging to Georgia"s armed forces, however such inspections is envisaged in 1999 Vienna document/ This refusal should be viewed in thecontext of foreign policy of Georgia with its key element of preparation of diplomatic and other conditions for forceful return of South Ossetia", said Tkhostov.

"The resolution of PACE does not play any role", says the RSO Parliament Vice-Speaker Yuri Dzitsoity commenting on the PACE Resolution, in which the PA demanded from Moscow to reverse it recognition of South Ossetia nad Abkhazia and acknowledged the Russian military bases in the republics as illegal and the Russian military presence in Leningori district, Perevi and Upper Abkhazia as "occupation"."
According to Dzitsoiti, "this resolution is most like of a non-binding nature".

On 28 January, PACE had again discussed the events of August 2008 in South Ossetia and their consequences. According to Foreign Minister of RSO Murat Djioev, the adopted resolution contains softer attacks at South Ossetia and Russia, than those of the resolution adopted last autumn. "We are pleased to noted that the European community is still trying to find out what exactly had happened in August 2008 in South Ossetia.

Population census will be held in South Ossetia in 2010. This decision has been made by the RSO Government presidium. A draft law has been presented by the RSO Statistics Service. The last census in South Ossetia has been carried out in 1987. As stated by the Statistics Service, "it is planned to cover all districts of South Ossetia, including those occupied by Georgia. Presentloy, preparation works are being implemented".