Государственное информационное агентство "Рес"

Brief interview
Question: The European Parliament support the main conclusions in the report of the EU-sponsored International Independent Fact-Finding Mission into the circumstances of the conflict in South Ossetia headed by Heidi Tagliavini. According to this report, Georgia started the war in South Ossetia. Do you expect that the conclusions of Tagliavini’s Mission would have any impact on the policies of the West to support current Georgian regime?

Murat Djioev, RSO Foreign Minister:
Naturally, South Ossetia was interested in the results of the work done by the EU International Fact-Finding Mission headed by Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini, to examine the events of 2008 August. The Mission had done an enormous work, it maintained contact with all the side involved in the war in August 2008. The hope for the professionalism of the Mission members and the objectivity of their conclusions proved right. In the report voiced in December 2009, and in the recent speeches in the PACE and US Congress, Ambassador Tagliavini had clearly stated Georgia’s and Georgian authorities’ responsibility for unleashing the war in August 2008. I would like to express the hope that eventually the international community will learn the truth and the Western protectors of Sakashvili’s regime will cease their support and supplies of weapons.

The President of the Republic of South Ossetia stated Zar tragedy would always stay in the memory of the Ossetian people. “It is a tragic episode in the history of our people and it will forever stay in the hears and minds of all Ossetians, as a never-healing wound incurable neither through years nor through words of compassion,” said the president. “Our sacred duty before those, who died 20 May 1992, our brothers and sisters, to remember them and do everything possible to prevent similar tragedies in the future.”

8 Georgian citizens detained in South Ossetia for illegal border-crossing. As Deputy Plenipotentiary for Post-Conflict Settlement Merab Chigoev reported to IA RES, law enforcement bodies of South Ossetia detained 5 Georgian citizens on 18 May for illegal border-crossing in Znaur district of South Ossetia. "The same day, one person was detained for similar violation in the village of Artsev, Tskhinval district", said Chigoev.

The president of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity held a session to discuss issues related to security and protection of the state borderline of the Republic of South Ossetia. Representatives of the RF Border-guard service and law enforcement and defense structures, as well as heads of administrations attended the session.
The participants discussed further steps aimed at security and protection of the Republic's state border. The Chief of the RF FSB Border-Guard Department in South Ossetia Alexander Murzin reported on the situation at the borderline and the activities of the Department. He emphasized that the situation at the borderline was controllable.

Russian border-guards jointly with their South Ossetian colleagues conducted their routine flight over the borderline areas of South Ossetia. During their overflight, the border-guards accompanies by journalists saw the areas adjacent to the boundary-line in the vicinity of Sinagur village, Mamison pass and Leningor district of South Ossetia. During this routine activity, the border-guards monitor the border-line are. As reported the press-service of the RF BSB Border-guard department in South Ossetia, "this kind of overflights are conducted regularly." The results of the overflight were satisfactory.

The president of the Republic of South Ossetia held a session with ministers and heads of governmental agencies. The session began with the report of the Deputy Interior Minister of Vitaly Gassiev on the criminal situation in the Republic. Gassiev stressed that through the reported period the situation remained calm. According to him, particular attention was paid to prevention and investigation of crimes related to drugs and arms trafficking. “With the arms collection launched, we have collected enough arms and ammunitions. We are continuing these activities”, underlined Gassiev. He also noted the positive results in the investigation of criminal cases of few previous years. In the meantime, Eduard Kokoity made several remarks in relation to proper performance of the road police (GAI) personnel, who, according to him, did no always duly record the cases with drunk drivers.

On 17 May, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of the Republic of South Ossetia in the Russian Federation Dmitry Medoev participated in the official opening ceremony at the Embassy of Abkhazia in Moscow, the Russian Federation, upon the invitation from the Ambassador of Abkhazia in the RF I. A. Akhba. Official representative of the Russian MFA A. Nesterenko, Head of the CIS Department of the RF MFA A.S Kelin, Foreign Minister of Abkhazia M.Kh. Gvindzhia, Ambassador of Abkhazia in the RF, Russian MPs, heads of diplomatic missions of Nicaragua and Syria attended the ceremony.

South Ossetia has handed over to EUMM representatives three Georgian citizens detained 4 September 2009 for illegal border-crossing and unauthorized wood-cutting in Leningor district of South Ossetia. On 13 May, at the trial, the Georgian citizens, residents of Tvaurebi village, Kaspi district of Georgia, Levan Biganashvili, 1986, Aleko Didebashvili, 1985, Merab Tvauri, 1974, were convicted under Art 322, p.2, RF CC (illegal crossing of the state border). With the detention term already served, during which the investigation was ongoing, the Georgian citizens were released from the courtroom.

South Ossetia is determined to continue open and positive dialogue and attached significant importance to Geneva discussions, stated the president of the Republic of South Ossetia Eduard KOkoity at the meeting with the Co-Chairs of Geneva discussions in Tskhinval. "We are certainly disappointed with the statements of Georgian officials that the consider the discussions as a process not as an instrument to defuse tensions. It undermines the image of the discussions, since today, this is the only existing mechanism which allows implementation of provisions set forth in Sarkozy-Medvedev agreement", said Kokoity. Taking about the necessity to sign a bilateral agreement between South Ossetia and Georgia, the president emphasized that the Republic needs guarantees of non-reoccurrence of the August 2008 events.

The release of the three Georgian citizens and almost completed mission of the Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights Tomas Hammarberg on finding out the fate of the missing South Ossetians, gives the hope for resumption of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), stated the EU Envoy Pierre Morel while visiting Tskhinval with the delegation of the Geneva discussions' Co-Chairs.
The delegation arrived in South Ossetia to conduct preparatory consultations for the forthcoming 11th round of Geneva discussions to take place 7-8 June 2010. Ambassador Morel underlined that the resumption of the IPRM was an important component of the Co-Chair's work, since the Mechanism was created within the frames of Geneva discussions.