A meeting between the relatives of the South Ossetians abducted by the Georgian special services wit the representatives of the EU was held in the Georgian village of Ergneti, reported the Deputy Special Representative for Post-Conflict Settlement Merab Chigoev. According to him, the relatives have transmitted additional information about the fate and location of the abducted persons.
The defense structures of the RSO have deployed a new checkpoint in the village of Karzman in Djava district, near the checkpoint of the Russian troops, stated the RSO Defense Minister Yuri Tanaev.
According to him, before “our checkpoint has been deployed, representatives of law enforcement bodies and government employees of Georgia could freely pass through this checkpoint and move along the territory of South Ossetia”. “In the valley of the Kverila river, these are Ossetian villages of Karzman and Tbet, there was chestnut timber poaching, South Ossetia’s property was looted free of any duties and then sold to Turkey. In Soviat times chestnut was included into the Red Book of rare species.
South Ossetian side referred to the European Union delegation the information about Georgian aggression and violations on Medvedev - Sarcosy agreement that are regularly happened at the South Ossetian board territory.
The plenipotentiary representative of South Ossetian President on the conflict questions settlement Boris Chochiev declared in his speech that there is no doubt Georgia was the aggressor in august 2008, on the summit meeting with the members of International Mission of European Union which is holding an inquiry of august events.
«Today nobody doubts that Georgia was the aggressor in august. This version was told during the Geneva disscussions. And it was recognized by Georgian nation too», - noticed Chochiev.
A press-conference of the RSO Central Election Commission (CEC) member Christina Avlokhova was held at the CEC Informational Center “Parliamentary Election 2009” to focus on “hotline” work. The hotline was established to ensure that every citizens, every observer or journalist might receive information about the election participants, location of polling stations, voting procedure, and other issues related to election legislature.
Election in Leningor district are actively ongoing – this is how the Chair of Leningor district election commission Merab Khoziev evaluated the voting process there. “The situation in the district is stable. High attendance has been observed in the villages of Leningor and Tsinagar. This is happening despite the Georgian authorities’ efforts to hinder the election”, stated Merab Khoziev. He explained that at the moment 4 mini-vans with South Ossetian citizens are at the borderline; the Georgian authorities did not let them to cross the border to the territory of South Ossetia.
The Parliamentary Election in South Ossetia will be democratic, transparent and should become another positive message to international community that the RSO is a democratic state for a long time and that elections are held here at any level. This is a statement made y the RSO Foreign Minister Murat Djioeva at the press-conference at the Informational Center “Parliamentary Election 2009” in Tskhinval.
The Minister noted that so far, “72 international observers had been registered at the RSO CEC, out of which 10 are from far abroad.”
On 30 May 2009, at approximately 11 a.m., the RF citizen Evgeni Nikolaevich Lukinov, 1978, inhabitant of Stavropol krai, has been brought to the resuscitation department of the Republican Hospital of the RSO with no sign of life. The Hospital doctors certified death.
According to preliminary findings, on 30 May morning, Lukinov fainted while he was taking bath at the rented apartment in Djabiev street. The primary examination showed no signs of a violent death.
An agreement on cooperation between the Central Election Commissions of South Ossetia and Transdnestria was signed in Tskhinval. The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the RSO. For the South Ossetian side, the agreement on cooperation was signed by the CEC Chairperson Bella Plieva, for the Transdnestrian side – her colleagues Petr Denisenko.
A delegation from Nagorny Karabakh arrived in South Ossetia as international observers for the RSO Parliamentary election. The RSO President Eduard Kokoity received the delegation headed by Nagorny Karabakh Parliament MP Rudik Martirosyan. .
“We are sure that the election will be held at high level and the Ossetian people will make their choice and cast their votes. I believe you will be witnesses of this grandiose event extremely important for our state, since this is the first election in the internationally recognized state”, said Eduard Kokoity.
The RSO President Eduard Kokoity cast his vote at polling station №10 in School №5 where the memorial cemetery of victims of Georgian aggression is located.
Having voted, the President talked to journalists and answered their questions.
Eduard Kokoity stated that “this is an important event, since this is the first election in the recognized state. Today, the election is another test of maturity and sustainability of our democracy. This is a big holiday for the people of the Republic of South Ossetia”.